Desmond Morris

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Desmond Morris (born 24 January 1928 in the village of Purton, north Wiltshire, UK) is most famous for his work as a zoologist and ethologist. He was educated at Dauntsey's School, a boys' independent school in West Lavington, Wiltshire, and then at the University of Birmingham and the University of Oxford. He first came to public attention in the 1950s as a presenter of the ITV television programme Zoo Time. His studies focus on animal and human behaviour, explained from a zoological point of view. He has written a number of books and produced a number of television shows. His examination of humans from a bluntly zoological point of view has attracted controversy.

In addition to his scientific pursuits, he is an artist in the Surrealist tradition. Morris has exhibited with Joan Miró and contributed significantly to the British Surrealist movement. He had his first solo show in 1948, and has shown regularly ever since.

Painting by Congo.

In 1951, having obtained a First Class Honours Degree in Zoology from Birmingham University, he began research for his doctorate in animal behaviour at Oxford. In 1954, he was awarded a D.Phil. from Oxford University for his doctoral thesis on the Reproductive Behaviour of the Ten-spined Stickleback, supervised by Niko Tinbergen.

In 1957, he curated an exhibition of chimpanzee paintings and drawings at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, including paintings by a young chimpanzee called Congo.

Dr. Morris oversaw the creation of the gestural and body language for the Paleolithic human characters in the 1981 film Quest for Fire.

Since their publication, some of Morris' theories explaining elements of human behaviour via a zoological lens, in particular via natural evolutionary mechanisms, have been attacked as incomplete, incorrect, or overly simplistic. Some explanations have also been criticized for being male-centered or supporting a sexist view of sexual behaviour. Some contend that his comments are often untestable, and as a result unscientific. Religious objectors to Darwinism take strong objection to the musings of Morris and those like him, finding it insulting and even immoral to think of humans as dominated by strictly animal instincts. Nevertheless, supporters defend him for starting, or at least bringing into mainstream discussion, the approach of applying principles of animal behaviourism to explaining human behaviour.

[edit] Selected books

The Biology of Art (1963) - a look at the paintings of primates and their relation to human art
The Mammals: A Guide to the Living Species (1965) — a comprehensive and compelling listing of all mammal genera, all non-rodent non-bat species, and additional information on select species.
The Naked Ape (1967) — an unabashed look at the human species. The book is notable for its focus on humanity's animal-like qualities and our similarity with apes. Reprinted many times and in many languages, it continues to be a best-seller.
The Human Zoo (1969) — a continuation of the previous book, analyzing human behaviour in big modern societies and their resemblance to animal behaviour in captivity.
Intimate Behaviour (1971) — this book examines and analyzes any physical contact acted out by human animals. From clapping, to having a hair cut, to hand jive, to patting on the back, to hugging, to babe suckling, to copulation...
Manwatching (1977) reprinted as Peoplewatching (2002)
Gestures: Their Origin and Distribution (1979)
Animal Days (1979) — Autobiographical
Soccer Tribe (1981)
Pocket Guide to Manwatching (1982)
Inrock (1983)
Bodywatching – A Field Guide to the Human Species (1985) — Hundreds of photos analyzing the human body from hair down to the feet.
Catwatching (1986) — a study of one of the most popular of household pets across the centuries.
Dogwatching (1986) — an in-depth study of "man's best friend".
Horsewatching (1989) - an in-depth study of 'man's other former best friend.'
Animalwatching (1990)
Babywatching (1991)
The Human Animal (1994)
The Naked Eye (2001)
Dogs: The Ultimate Dictionary of over 1000 Dog Breeds (2001)
Peoplewatching: The Desmond Morris Guide to Body Language (2002)
The Naked Woman: A Study of the Female Body (2004)
Linguaggio muto (Dumb language) (2004)
Cat World: A Feline Encyclopedia (1997)