＊本书由珍古德博士（Dr. Jane Goodall）推荐！
 
这是Greg，他是一位壮壮的家伙，走路摇摇摆摆、昂首阔步。他令人生畏，但同时也是他朋友群的友善老大。他的朋友群包括了Abe、Keith、Mike、Kevin、Torn Trunk以及Willlie。但是，有一年炎热的夏天，事情开始变动，排名第三的Kevin开始有野心，希望在团体里争取到更高的位置。这不是一个平凡的帮派故事——Greg以及他的团体是在非洲纳米比亚Etosha国家公园里的公象。这23年来，作者Caitlin O’Connell一直在观察并记录这群公象的复杂友情。
 
作者Caitlin O’Connell是世界上数一数二的大象沟通以及社交行为的专家，她在《大象老大》里，给读者一个难得的机会，透进非洲公象的社交世界。这本书记录了Greg以及他的公象群，作者也在书里试图理解男性友情的变迁、权利战争以及玩耍方式。这是一个会打动人心故事，关于承诺、忠诚以及情感，同时捕捉了大象行为以及沟通之间的不可思议交流。
 
作者在书中叙述的Greg有时候是暴君，有时候是一位善良的独裁者，他花费心思保留自己在第一的位置。在叙述Greg的故事的同时，作者也分享自己在研究过程的故事，在这个不适合人类居住的大自然里所碰到的所有挑战以及成就。
 
读者绝对没有看过这种精彩的大自然故事，关于我们印象中人见人爱的大象群背后的政治纠纷。作者花了20几年的时间研究出这些惊人的发现：其实大象的社交关系跟我们人类没有差很多！我们可能在阅读 Greg的故事时会想到自己人生中所遇到过的Greg。
 
关于作者：
Caitlin O’Connell时美国史丹佛大学医学院的教授。她的文章在《纽约时报》、《波士顿环球报》、《国家地理杂志》以及Discover杂志里出版过。她住在加州圣地亚哥。
 
好评：
Jane Goodall, founder, the Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of Peace
“In Elephant Don, O’Connell, one of the leading experts on elephant communication and social behavior, takes us inside the little-known world of African male elephants, a world that is steeped in ritual, where bonds are maintained by unexpected tenderness punctuated by violence. It is also the story of O’Connell and the challenges and triumphs of field research. And it comes at a critical time when the slaughter of these intelligent and long lived creatures is at an all time high. The more people learn about them, the more they are likely to help efforts to save them.”
 
Frans de Waal, author of The Bonobo and the Atheist
“Elephant bulls—those magnificent creatures now in the eyesight of hunters and poachers—were always portrayed as loners. O’Connell has changed this by showing their intensely social nature. Not only do bulls frequently associate, they have subtle ways of communicating status and to jockey for position. All of this is complicated by the ‘musth’ wild card characteristic of the species. A fascinating look into the politics of the largest land animal.”
 
Marc Bekoff, author of Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals
“Elephant Don is truly a winner in many different ways. The best way to learn about the magnificent animals with whom we share Earth—or with whom we are supposed to peacefully coexist— is to meet them up close and personal, by name, by social relationships, and by their daily and sometimes hourly ups and downs. By reading the autobiographies detailing the roller coaster of emotions of a pachyderm posse we experience their own and other's life's challenges, and we see them as the unique individuals they truly are. In this landmark book we also learn about the ups and downs of doing extremely difficult, highly rewarding, and incredibly important field research. There surely is no one better than O’Connell to tell the stories of the animals she knows so well, to see how what they actually do meshes with extant models and theories, and what it’s really like to conduct this sort of research with a team of incredibly dedicated researchers, all of whom also are unique individuals. I will share this book widely. It is that good.”
 
Library Journal
“O'Connell not only delivers a fascinating glimpse into the complex social lives of these intelligent pachyderms but also highlights the gritty challenges faced by scientists who study them in their natural environment.”
 
Psychology Today
“An outstanding book. . . . There are no substitutes for long-term field research on identified individuals and, as you read Dr. O’Connell’s book, you’ll feel like you’re right there with her, her incredible team of researchers, and these most interesting and amazing animals. Written for a broad audience, not only researchers, I hope Elephant Don enjoys a global audience. This book can really make a positive difference in the lives of these most amazing and majestic beings.”
 
Wildlife News
“Elephant Don offers an insight into the changing world of male friendships and coalitions that go on in a bachelor herd and by the end of the book you feel as if you know the herd intimately. If you have any interest in elephants and their behavior you will enjoy this book and you will almost certainly gain a greater understanding of elephant society.”
 
Inside Higher Ed
“The stories O’Connell has to tell—both about the elephants and about life in the field, with poisonous snakes and infrequent access to a shower—are certainly absorbing.”
 
Huffington Post
“A highly engaging and at times deeply affecting personal memoir of her years monitoring elephant society.”
 
Booklist
“O’Connell’s longtime watching, astute observations, photographs, and down-to-earth but detail-filled prose bring fascinating tales and postulations regarding elephant society.”
 
Vicki Croke | WBUR, "The Wild Life"
“In her latest book, Elephant Don, just out this month, the gifted translator of all things elephant, provides a front row seat on a long-running soap opera, which has been cast with some very big stars.”
 
目录：
Kissing of the Ring
Journey to Mushara
The Head That Wears the Crown
Introduction to the Boys’ Club
Dung Diaries
Teenage Wasteland
Coalitions and a Fall from Grace
Male Bonding
The Domino Effect
Capo di Tutti Capi
Of Musth and Other Demons
The Emotional Elephant
The Don Back in the Driver’s Seat
Closure
Sniffing Out Your Relatives
Where Are the Boys in Gray?
A Case for Dishonest Signaling
The Don under Fire
Black Mamba in Camp
Baying at a Testosterone-Filled Moon
Relentless Wind
A Deposed Don
The Don Returns
Scramble for Power
The Royal Family
Wee Hours
The Politics of Family
A New Beginning
Acknowledgments
Captions for Chapter-Opening Photos
Index