Outsider Animals: How the creatures at the margins of our lives have the most to teach us: Newcastle University

When we think of animals that provide the greatest insights into animal cognition and behaviour, primates and honeybees come to mind, or perhaps whales or octopus. What about the foxes that plunder our rubbish at night, or the coyotes that threaten pets and livestock, or the gulls that divebomb for snacks at the beach? ‘Outsider Animals’ challenges everything you thought you knew about the overlooked animals that live in proximity to humans, sharing the stories that each has to tell about adaptation and cohabitation on our increasingly crowded planet.

Marlene Zuk is Regents Professor of Ecology, Evolution, and Behaviour at the University of Minnesota and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. She has written for The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and New Scientist. Her books include ‘Dancing Cockatoos’ and the ‘Dead Man Test: How Behavior Evolves and Why It Matters’ and ‘Paleofantasy: What Evolution Really Tells Us About Sex, Diet, and How We Live’.