Marc Bekoff

Professor Emeritus

marc.bekoff@colorado.edu
303-492-8961
Ramaley N336

Dr. Bekoff's home page

Marc Bekoff and Jane Goodall (EETA)

Ph.D., Washington University, St. Louis, 1972

Research Interests

Research Interests: Behavioral ecology and social biology including social behavior and social organization, evolution and development, communication, and vigilance (antipredatory behavior). Field research has been on coyotes, western evening grosbeaks, and mixed flocks of birds. Current research deals with the development of communication and social relationships in various canids and vigilance in mixed flocks of birds. Other strong interests include cognitive ethology and links between animal behavior, philosophy of mind, moral philosophy, and animal welfare. Graduate students are expected to develop their own field projects. Graduate work has dealt with different aspects of social behavior in bighorn sheep, peccaries, pronghorns, pikas, free-ranging dogs, rock squirrels, Abert's squirrels, and wolves.

Recent Publications

Bekoff , M. 2005. The question of animal emotions: An ethological perspective. In F. McMillan (ed.) Mental Health and Well-being in Animals. Blackwell Publishing, Ames, Iowa. Pp. 15-27.

Bekoff , M. 2004. Wild justice and fair play: cooperation, forgiveness, and morality in animals. Biology & Philosophy 19: 489-520.

Bekoff , M., and P. W. Sherman. 2004. Reflections on animal selves. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 19: 176-180.

Bekoff , M., and J. Nystrom. 2004. The other side of silence: Rachel Carson's views of animals. Zygon 39: 61-88.

Dugatkin, L. A. and Bekoff , M. 2003. Play and the evolution of fairness: A game theory model. Behavioural Processes, 60, 209-214.

Bekoff , M. 2002. Virtuous nature. New Scientist 13 July, 34-37.

Bekoff , M. 2002. The importance of ethics in conservation biology: Let's be ethicists not ostriches. Endangered Species Update 19 (2): 23-26.

Spinka, M., Newberry, R. C., and Bekoff , M. 2001. Mammalian play: Training for the unexpected. Quarterly Review of Biology 76, 141-168.

Bradshaw, I. G. A. and M. Bekoff . 2001. Ecology and social responsibility: the re-embodiment of science Trends in Ecology and Evolution 8, 460-465.

Bekoff , M. 2001. Human-carnivore interactions: Adopting proactive strategies for complex problems. In J. L. Gittleman, S. M. Funk, D. W. Macdonald, and R. K. Wayne (eds.) Carnivore Conservation. Cambridge University Press, London and New York. pp. 179-195.

Bekoff , M. 2001.The evolution of animal play, emotions, and social morality: On science, theology, spirituality, personhood, and love. Zygon (Journal of Religion and Science) 36, 615-655.

Bekoff , M. 2001. Social play behaviour: Cooperation, fairness, trust, and the evolution of morality. Journal of Consciousness Studies, 8, 81-90.

Bekoff , M. 2001. Observations of scent-marking and discriminating self from others by a domestic dog (Canis familiaris): Tales of displaced yellow snow. Behavioural Processes 55, 75-79.

Bekoff , M. 2001. Cunning coyotes: Tireless tricksters, protean predators. In L. Dugatkin (ed.) Model Systems in Behavioral Ecology. Princeton, Princeton University Press. pp. 381-407.

Bekoff , M., and Dugatkin, L. 2000. Winner and loser effects and the development of dominance relationships in young coyotes: An integration of data and theory. Evolutionary Ecology Research 2, 871-883.

Bekoff , M., Allen, C., and Grant, M. C. 1999. Feeding decisions by Steller's jays (Cyanocitta stelleri): The utility of a logistic regression model for analyses of complex choices.Ethology 105: 393-406.

Allen, J., Bekoff , M., and Crabtree, R. 1999. An observational study of coyote (Canis latrans) scent-marking and territoriality in Yellowstone National Park. Ethology 105: 289-302.

Bekoff , M., and Jamieson, D. 1996. Ethics and the study of carnivores: Doing science while respecting animals. In J. L. Gittleman (ed.), Carnivore behavior, ecology, and evolution, Volume 2. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York. pp. 15-45.

Bekoff , M. 1995. Play signals as punctuation: The structure of social play in canids. Behaviour 132: 419-429.

Recent Books

Bekoff, M. 2006. Animal Passions and Beastly Virtues: Reflections on Redecorating Nature. Temple University Press, Philadelphia.

Bekoff, M. (ed.) 2004. Encyclopedia of animal behavior. Greenwood Publishing Group, Westport, Connecticut.

2002 Goodall, J. and Bekoff , M. The Ten Trusts: What We Must Do To Care For The Animals We Love. HarperCollins, San Francisco.

2002 Bekoff , M., Allen, C., and Burghardt, G. M. (eds.) The Cognitive Animal: Empirical and Theoretical Perspectives on Animal Cognition. MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

2002 Bekoff , M. Minding Animals: Awareness, Emotions, and Heart. Oxford University Press, New York. (Book of the year, UK Telegraph)

Bekoff , M. (ed.) 2000. The Smile of a Dolphin: Remarkable Accounts of Animal emotions. Random House/Discovery Books.
(cover story in U. S. News and World Report, 30 October 2000 - www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/001030/animals.htm ;
USA Today, 13 December 2000; and International Wildlife Magazine, September/October 2001 - www.nwf.org/internationalwildlife/2001/emotionso01.html )

Bekoff , M. 2000. Strolling with our Kin: Speaking for and Respecting Voiceless Animals. Lantern Books, New York (American Antivivisection Society, Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, Special publication).

Bekoff , M. (ed.) 1998. Encyclopedia of Animal Rights and Animal Welfare. Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc., Westport, Connecticut. (Outstanding Reference Source, 1999, American Libraries)

Allen, C., and Bekoff , M. 1997. Species of mind: The philosophy and biology of cognitive ethology. MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts.