#355 Kay Holekamp: Hyenas, and the Evolution of General Intelligence
RECORDED ON JUNE 19th, 2020.
Dr. Kay Holekamp is University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Integrated Biology, and Director of the Program in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology & Behavior at Michigan State University. She is also Principal Investigator at the Holekamp Lab. She is recognized as one of the world’s leading behavioral ecologists. Dr. Holekamp has devoted her career to animal behavior and behavioral neuroendocrinology, focusing specifically on the study of the evolution of intelligence. Her long-running study of spotted hyenas in Africa has acquired more than 30 years of data, covering 10 generations of hyena. Dr. Holekamp’s honors include election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, being named a fellow of the Animal Behavior Society, and a Merriam Award from the American Society of Mammalogists.
In this episode, we talk about Dr. Holekamp’s work on spotted hyenas, and some general topics of animal behavior. We start with the main aspects of spotted hyenas’ sociality. And then we talk about epigenetics and the extended evolutionary synthesis, and the evolution of general intelligence.
Time Links:
Why study hyenas?
The interplay between genetics and the ecology
Spotted hyenas’ sociality (aggression, dominance hierarchies, hunting, and the effects of prenatal androgens)
Epigenetics, and the extended evolutionary synthesis
The evolution of general intelligence (in mammals)
Can we extrapolate from spotted hyenas to other species (including humans)?
Diet, hunting, social structure, and intelligence
Follow Dr. Holekamp’s work!
Follow Dr. Holekamp’s work:
Faculty page: https://bit.ly/2NbLynJ
Holekamp Laboratory: https://bit.ly/2xOCosX
ResearchGate profile: https://bit.ly/2UNMdQN
Hyena Specialist Group: https://bit.ly/2Ne0KR5