As a pet owner, and scientist, I often shake my head at how much credit we give our species. "Oh, we're just SOOO complicated and special --- not like those 'animals'!"
Our program recently had the great fortune of a visit by Carsten Schradin, who gave a nice seminar on the sociobiology of the social striped mouse (Rhabdomys
pumilio). Many of the findings he discussed reminded me nothing so much as stereotypes of our own species. As an outsider looking in, I find the parallels between non-human and human behavior are wonderfully ironic.
I don't anthropomorphize non-human behavior. Rather, I prefer to think that I re-animate human behavior.
[the title of this blog comes from Schradin et al. 2009, Am Nat, v. 173).]
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