The swaggering and jostling of fraternity males at parties in front of groups of snickering, big-haired sorority girls was reminiscent of female elk watching the dueling of their suitors. Yes, I and they, too, benefited from this new outlook. I could understand their destructive behavior, hear more clearly their earlier cries for help and see the wounds they themselves carried from childhood. I could imagine my mother as an injured bird, dragging a wing while snapping at the hand reaching out to help it. I see now that my father did have a rattle, and I did protect myself as only a juvenile mammal dependent on her parents could.
Humans are the most complex of animals.
Their signals sometimes are distorted by the noise of reasoning. But, if we begin to understand the signals of animals with whom we share the planet, and the Darwinian motivations behind them, we may begin to comprehend ourselves.