Marc Bekoff is an ethologist, behavioral ecologist, compassionate conservationist, and author. He is professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Latest by this author
Every piece of bacon comes from a unique personality.
Marc Bekoff is professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, a fellow of the Animal Behavior Society, and a past Guggenheim Fellow.
He is the co-chair of the Ethics Committee of the Jane Goodall Institute and an ambassador for Jane Goodallʼs international Roots & Shoots program, in which he works with students of all ages, senior citizens, and prisoners.
Bekoff serves on the board of directors of The Cougar Fund, and has been part of the international program Science and the Spiritual Quest II and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) program on Science, Ethics, and Religion, and has also served on the board of directors for Minding Animals International.
In 2000, Bekoff was awarded the Exemplar Award from the Animal Behavior Society for major long-term contributions to the field of animal behavior, in 2009 he was presented with the St. Francis of Assisi Award by the Auckland (New Zealand) SPCA, and in 2022, he was recognized as a hero by The Academy For Dog Trainers.
Bekoff has published dozens of books, which have been translated into more than 20 languages. His books include The Emotional Lives of Animals (New World Library, 2024), Jane Goodall at 90: Celebrating an Astonishing Lifetime of Science, Advocacy, Humanitarianism, Hope, and Peace (Salt Water Media), Dogs Demystified: An A-to-Z Guide to All Things Canine (New World Library, 2023), and with Jessica Pierce, A Dog’s World: Imagining the Lives of Dogs in a World Without Humans (Princeton University Press, 2021).
Find him at marcbekoff.com and on X: @MarcBekoff.External
Sub-Human?
The Psychology of Anthropocentric Exceptionalism
Psychology Today | July | 2024
Marc Bekoff interviews Emma Håkansson about her book Sub-Human: A 21st-Century Ethic; On Animals, Collective Liberation, and Us. The book brings together new research and theory combined to paint a detailed picture of the problem of speciesism and broader oppression and potential solutions for it.
Psychology Today | July | 2024
In Meet the Neighbors: Animal Minds and Life in a More-than-Human World, acclaimed science journalist Brandon Keim explores what animal personhood—knowing these neighborly animals as thinking, feeling beings—means for our relationships with wild animals and nature. He asks what would it mean to take a knowledge of animals as fellow persons out onto the landscape. Can thinking of nonhumans as our neighbors help chart a course to a kinder, gentler planet?
Conservation, Compassion, and Freedom
Psychology Today | June | 2024
Bekoff speaks to Dr. Amy Propen about her book, An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Wildlife Corridors: Conservation, Compassion and Connectivity. Propen, who teaches writing at the University of California, Santa Barbara, carefully explains why providing corridors is the compassionate and empathic thing to do and why we must do all we can to offer these “luxuries” to other animals as we wantonly trespass into their homes.
Publications by this author
A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy, Sorrow, and Empathy—And Why They Matter
New World Library | April | 2024
The Emotional Lives of Animals is a seminal exploration of animal emotion, sentience, and cognition, revised and expanded to incorporate a surge of new science
When award-winning scientist Marc Bekoff penned the first edition of this book in 2007, he predicted that over time our understanding of animal cognition and emotion would grow “richer, more accurate, and possibly different.” Since then, not only has the field seen an explosion of new and startling research, but the popular interest in the subject has grown as well, spawning countless podcasts, articles, and bestselling books.
Bekoff skillfully blends extraordinary stories of animal joy, empathy, grief, embarrassment, anger, and love with the latest scientific research confirming the existence of emotions that common sense and experience have long implied. Filled with light humor and compassion, The Emotional Lives of Animals is a clarion call for reassessing both how we view and how we treat animals.
Celebrating an Astonishing Lifetime of Science, Advocacy, Humanitarianism, Hope, and Peace
Co-authors: Koen Margodt | Salt Water Media | March | 2024
In this wide-ranging collection of tributes and photographs from numerous time zones and continents, the authors celebrate Jane Goodallʼs 90th birthday. Family, friends, current researchers, former students, other scientists, philosophers, animal and environmental activists, conservationists, Jane Goodall Institute colleagues, CEOs, and actors share their love for this most amazing woman. There are many surprises in these heartfelt reflections in addition to what just about everyone knows about this iconic and indefatigable woman who offers hope to everyone she meets no matter where they are. All in all, these stories and photographs represent who we call the “real Jane.”
An A-to-Z Guide to All Things Canine
New World Library | August | 2023
The encyclopedic entries in this book cover everything related to dog care, dog-human relationships, and dog behavior, cognition, and emotions, making this the accessible book that every dog lover should have. In concise, readable A-through-Z entries, Bekoff covers it all, from aggression to pack formation to zoomies, and explores why dogs do what they do; exactly how to meet any dog eye-to-eye, nose-to-nose, and ear-to-ear to understand their world better; and how tuning in to a dog’s unique personality leads to happier dogs and happier human companions.
Awareness, Emotions, And Heart
Co-authors: Jane Goodall (Foreword) | Oxford University Press | January | 2002
Bekoff draws on this vast experience, as well as on the observations of other naturalists, to offer readers fascinating stories of animal behavior, including grooming and gossip, feeding patterns, dreaming, dominance, and mating behavior. He offers a thought-provoking look at animal cognition, intelligence, and consciousness and he presents vivid examples of animal passions, highlighting the deep emotional lives of our animal kin. All this serves as background for his thoughtful conclusions about humility, animal protection, and animal well-being, where he urges a new paradigm of respect, grace, compassion, and love for all animals.
Media by this author
Feature | April | 2024
Making an emotional connection to a non-human animal is a defining moment in many peoples’ lives. It could be the family dog, a squirrel who hops past a window every day, or a black bear known to meander through a local forest. It’s that connection that can help people understand the depth of non-human animal emotion and make changes in how they view the world around them. Dr. Marc Bekoff knows a thing or two about this connection—and has revisited a classic publication to show how far science and society have come in understanding animal emotions. Dr. Bekoff is a celebrated ethologist, best-selling author, professor emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, and along with Dr. Jane Goodall, a co-founder of Ethical Treatment of Animals: Citizens for Responsible Animal Behavior Studies. His popular book, The Emotional Lives of Animals, was originally published in 2007 to great response. Seventeen years later, Dr. Bekoff has updated and revised the book with new studies, anecdotes, an updated foreword from Dr. Jane Goodall, and more. Dr. Bekoff joins Defender Radio to share what he’s most excited about in the newly revised book, if recognition of animal sentience is the finish line for advocates, and where he sees hope for the future.
Feature | September | 2023
Dr. Marc Bekoff’s new book, Dogs Demystified, an A-to-Z Guide to All Things Canine, is an encyclopedia of dog behaviors, technical, and colloquial terminology, and pretty much anything you need to know to learn how to be a better companion to your dog, and understand their needs. Dr. Bekoff joins Defender Radio to share what led to this new book, why having citations on his website makes for an easier read, and how demystifying dogs can lead to a happier, healthier companion.
Feature | May | 2022
Delivering a lecture for the Society for the Promotion of Applied Research in Canine Science, Dr. Berkoff discusses sentience and emotion in animals.
Interview | February | 2021
Jamie Woodhouse of Sentientist Conversation talks to Marc Bekoff about his life and career as an ethologist.
Interview | May | 2019
Bekoff joins the Switch4Good Podcast to discuss the role of compassion in ecological conservation. He expolores what it means to rewild yourself, connect with nature, and acknowledge nonhuman animals for who they are. Questions that arise include: What happens to your brain when you go outside; how nature affects your mood and mind; how diet impacts our connection to the world; and how we use convenience and nonhuman animals’ perceived utility to create cognitive dissonance. Marc explains animal emotions and why they act the way they do.
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