About Us
Our mission
The objective of the Australasian Society for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASSAB) is:
to promote the scientific study of Animal Behaviour and provide opportunities for discussion and dissemination of information among its members
Humble beginnings
ASSAB was founded in 1973. From an initial membership of just 34, the society has steadily grown in membership as well as in the range of issues and taxa studied. Members are based primarily in universities, government agencies and zoos across Australia and New Zealand, and researchers from PNG and the Pacific nations are strongly encouraged to join.
All creatures great and small
ASSAB members are involved in research into all aspects of Animal Behaviour, with perspectives based in all related traditions, including Behavioural Ecology, Conservation, Animal Welfare, Applied Ethology, Pest Management, Human Ethology and Comparative Psychology. Our members carry out research on a vast range of animals including insects, arachnids, mammals, reptiles, birds, and fish. ASSAB members can be found carrying out research in any terrestrial or aquatic habitat.
Join us!
ASSAB welcomes everyone with an interest in the study of Animal Behaviour. Student membership is especially encouraged. Students pay a reduced membership fee, may also apply for financial support to attend the annual society conference, and are eligible to apply for small grants to support their research.
Support us
ASSAB is the only Society specifically dedicated to supporting research into the behaviour of Australasia's beautiful and unique animals. We are a non-profit organisation and all of our board members and office bearers, from the President through to the Councillors are volunteers. All of the money we receive via our membership fees and donations goes directly back into supporting Animal Behaviour research in the Australasian region. Please consider making a donation to support our Society and the wonderful research our members undertake.
Our logo
Artist's statement:
The Australasian Society of Animal Behaviour is a small society with big ambitions. In striving to achieve our goals we needed a logo that represents our mission and our identity. The new ASSAB crest was inspired by and modeled on the crest of a cockatoo. Cockatoos are a diverse group of animals that are distributed throughout a large part of Australasia. Their crests come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours but they are still immediately recognizable as a charismatic feature of these Australasian animals. By basing our logo on the raised crest of a cockatoo we aimed to capture a simple and well-known example of animal behaviour. Using this logo as a representation of our goals we endeavour to continue learning more about the wonderful diversity of Australasian animals and their remarkable behaviour.
