Animals as Neighbors
The Past and Present of Commensal Animals (The Animal Turn)
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Narrated by:
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Andrea Emmes
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By:
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Terry O'Connor
About this listen
In this fascinating book, Terry O'Connor explores a distinction that is deeply ingrained in much of the language that we use in zoology, human-animal studies, and archaeology - the difference between wild and domestic. For thousands of years, humans have categorized animals in simple terms, often according to the degree of control that we have over them, and have tended to see the long story of human-animal relations as one of increasing control and management for human benefit. And yet, around the world, species have adapted to our homes, our towns, and our artificial landscapes, finding ways to gain benefit from our activities and so becoming an important part of our everyday lives. These commensal animals remind us that other species are not passive elements in the world around us but intelligent and adaptable creatures. Animals as Neighborsshows how a blend of adaptation and opportunism has enabled many species to benefit from our often destructive footprint on the world. O'Connor investigates the history of this relationship, working back through archaeological records. By requiring us to take a multifaceted view of human-animal relations, commensal animals encourage a more nuanced understanding of those relations, both today and throughout the prehistory of our species.
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Cats have been popular household pets for thousands of years, and their numbers only continue to rise. Today there are three cats for every dog on the planet, and yet cats remain more mysterious, even to their most adoring owners. In Cat Sense, renowned anthrozoologist John Bradshaw takes us further into the mind of the domestic cat than ever before, using cutting-edge scientific research to explain the true nature - and needs - of our feline friends. Tracing the cat’s evolution from solitary hunter to domesticated companion, Bradshaw shows that cats remain independent, predatory, and wary of social contact.
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Not what I had expected
- By Terry on 03-11-14
By: John Bradshaw
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Against the Grain
- A Deep History of the Earliest States
- By: James C. Scott
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Why did humans abandon hunting and gathering for sedentary communities dependent on livestock and cereal grains and governed by precursors of today's states? Most people believe that plant and animal domestication allowed humans, finally, to settle down and form agricultural villages, towns, and states, which made possible civilization, law, public order, and a presumably secure way of living. But archaeological and historical evidence challenges this narrative.
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World without Women
- By Paul Richards on 04-28-18
By: James C. Scott
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The Statues That Walked
- Unraveling the Mystery of Easter Island
- By: Terry Hunt, Carl Lipo
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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The monumental statues of Easter Island, both so magisterial and so forlorn, gazing out in their imposing rows over the island’s barren landscape, have been the source of great mystery ever since the island was first discovered by Europeans on Easter Sunday 1722. How could the ancient people who inhabited this tiny speck of land, the most remote in the vast expanse of the Pacific islands, have built such monumental works?
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The "Mystery of Easter Island" remains raveled
- By Diane on 09-14-12
By: Terry Hunt, and others
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How to Clone a Mammoth
- The Science of De-Extinction
- By: Beth Shapiro
- Narrated by: Coleen Marlo
- Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Could extinct species, like mammoths and passenger pigeons, be brought back to life? The science says yes. In How to Clone a Mammoth, Beth Shapiro, evolutionary biologist and pioneer in "ancient DNA" research, walks listeners through the astonishing and controversial process of de-extinction.
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Very Readable Take on a Complex Subject
- By John on 04-26-15
By: Beth Shapiro
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The Neanderthals Rediscovered
- How Modern Science Is Rewriting Their Story (Revised and Updated Edition)
- By: Dimitra Papagianni, Michael A. Morse
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 5 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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In recent years, the common perception of the Neanderthals has been transformed, thanks to new discoveries and paradigm-shattering scientific innovations. It turns out that the Neanderthals' behavior was surprisingly modern: they buried the dead, cared for the sick, hunted large animals in their prime, harvested seafood, and communicated with spoken language. Meanwhile, advances in DNA technologies are compelling us to reassess the Neanderthals' place in our own past.
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Fascinating Subject... Soporific Reader
- By Andrew E. Yarosh on 11-21-17
By: Dimitra Papagianni, and others
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Changes in the Land
- Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England
- By: William Cronon
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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In this landmark work of environmental history, William Cronon offers an original and profound explanation of the effects European colonists' sense of property and their pursuit of capitalism had upon the ecosystems of New England. Reissued here with an updated afterword by the author and a new preface by the distinguished colonialist John Demos, Changes in the Land provides a brilliant interdisciplinary interpretation of how land and people influence one another.
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Excellent histgory and ecology
- By Eugene Gallagher on 09-26-20
By: William Cronon
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Population Wars
- A New Perspective on Competition and Coexistence
- By: Greg Graffin
- Narrated by: Tom Zingarelli
- Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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From the very beginning, life on Earth has been defined by war. Today, those first wars continue to be fought around and literally inside us, influencing our individual behavior and that of civilization as a whole. War between populations - whether between different species or between rival groups of humans - is seen as an inevitable part of the evolutionary process. The popular concept of "the survival of the fittest" explains and often excuses these actions.
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Life Changing Book. No other like it.
- By Abraham R. Herrick-Rough on 05-16-16
By: Greg Graffin
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Blueprint
- The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society
- By: Nicholas A. Christakis
- Narrated by: Nicholas A. Christakis
- Length: 14 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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For too long, scientists have focused on the dark side of our biological heritage: our capacity for aggression, cruelty, prejudice, and self-interest. But natural selection has given us a suite of beneficial social features, including our capacity for love, friendship, cooperation, and learning. Beneath all our inventions - our tools, farms, machines, cities, nations - we carry with us innate proclivities to make a good society.
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Many interesting thoughts
- By Jonas Blomberg Ghini on 06-01-19
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Nature's Best Hope
- A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard
- By: Douglas W. Tallamy
- Narrated by: Adam Barr
- Length: 6 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Douglas W. Tallamy's first book, Bringing Nature Home, awakened thousands of individuals to an urgent situation: wildlife populations are in decline because the native plants they depend on are fast disappearing. His solution? Plant more natives. In this new book, Tallamy takes the next step and outlines his vision for a grassroots approach to conservation.
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A must read for everybody! Not just nature lovers.
- By Steve Ebert on 06-11-20
What listeners say about Animals as Neighbors
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Deedra
- 03-30-15
Animals as neighbors
Any additional comments?
I was most impressed with the narrator,Andrea Emmes,reading of the text.The subject was interesting but a bit more 'text book' than I thought it would be.Interesting concepts about animals co existence with 'man' through history.
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- Lindsay
- 05-01-15
Detailed survey of our human history with animals
A detailed survey of our human history (and prehistory) with animals who share our immediate environment
First off, a small warning. This book is an academic text and therefore some background in biology and/or anthropology is probably necessary to understand the concepts discussed as it is not written in layman's terms.
I loved this book. It is a good introduction into the field of anthrozoology. The author's discussions were extremely nuanced, never being able to reach firm conclusions due to the lack of research, historical records, or anthropological data. He points out many errors in logic that other (non-anthrozoologist) authors have made when talking about human's association with animals. For instance, he emphasizes many times that we can only make conclusions based at the POPULATION level and not at the SPECIES level. The same species may be a companion animal in one environment and culture, a commensal pest in another environment/culture, and a non-commensal, "wild" animal in a third. In relation, he also points out that commensalism is cultural - dependent on both human culture AND animal culture. Because one species is able to modify it's behavior not just across time but also circumstance, animals too have adopted and adapted to us.
I greatly appreciated the discussion of cats too, as many researchers question whether they are true domesticates (or are more of commensal animals).
The narrator was excellent. It is hard to make an academic text sound not boring, but Andrea Emmes did a wonderful job, never sounding monotone or flat. I would definitely listen to anything else she narrates.
This book was fascinating and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about humans' interactions with animals.
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- Teresa
- 03-25-15
Our Commensal Relationship with Animals
I thought "Animals as Neighbors" was a great listen. As an animal lover of both domesticated and commensal animals, I found this audiobook to be super informative. While living with many types of wild animals nearby and even making sure they have food in the cold months, I never knew they were not really 'wild' in that sense. They're animals that have come to depend on us as humans as they live in close proximity, while partially depending on us for food as well as shelter. I honestly never considered the term 'commensal' before now and even looked it up.
From cats and dogs who have become domesticated throughout history to other animals such as raccoons, rats, mice, squirrels, and birds, this is an extremely good presentation of tracing the origin of the cat and dog to explaining our relationship with the other animals as well. Mesocarnivore was also something I looked up although this audiobook explains it clearly. These would be foxes, coyotes, and skunks along with other animals who depend on humans as well. This was a very informative book.
Overall, this audiobook was an interesting listen while providing great insight into our commensal co-habitators. I would highly recommend giving it a listen.
Andrea Emmes has continued to be a great narrator and has proven her versatility time and again. She did a wonderful job with this audiobook and I look forward to more great work from her in the future.
Audiobook provided in exchange for an unbiased review.
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