Ethological

/ˌɛθəˈlɒdʒɪkəl/ adjective

Definition

Relating to ethology, the scientific study of animal behavior in natural environments.

Etymology

From Greek ēthos (character, nature) + -logical (study of). Ethology emerged as a formal discipline in the 1930s with researchers like Konrad Lorenz observing wild animal behavior.

Kelly Says

Lorenz's discovery that goslings 'imprint' on the first moving thing they see—even him!—showed behavior comes from interaction with environment, not just genetic programming.

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