ethologist

American  

[ee-thah-luhj-ist] / iˈθɑ lədʒ ɪst /

noun

plural

ethologists

1. a specialist in or student of ethology.

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Explanation

A scientist who studies how animals behave is an ethologist. Are you fascinated by the waggle dance that bees do to show other bees where to find food? You might want to consider becoming an ethologist! A zoologist who specializes in animal behaviors is an ethologist, and their field is called ethology. These scientists are interested in the characteristic behaviors of different animals, especially how they act in their natural environments. An ethologist might study courtship rituals among various species, compare the way birds express aggression, or investigate animals that exhibit altruistic behavior. The word ethologist derives from the Greek ethos, "character."

Example Sentences

Yet studies show that flat-faced dogs possess “kindchenschema” or “baby schema,” a term coined by ethologist Konrad Lorenz to describe infantile features that elicit caregiving reactions.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 28, 2025

“For decades there has been a debate about whether animals are capable of such a level of abstraction,” said study leader Marianna Boros, a neuroscientist and ethologist at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 22, 2024

“It’s an elegant study. The results are so clear, and the experimental design is so simple,” says ethologist Julia Hyland Bruno of the New Jersey Institute of Technology, who wasn’t connected to the work.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 6, 2023

Baptiste Piqueret, an ethologist at Sorbonne Paris North University and lead author of the study, already knew that ants could detect the volatile organic compounds wafting off cancer cells.

From Scientific American • Jan. 24, 2023

The first person to be known as an ethologist was an Austrian, Konrad Lorenz.

From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall