Konrad Lorenz (ethologist)

Konrad Lorenz was an influential Austrian ethologist known for his work on animal behavior and instincts. He studied how animals, especially birds, are born with innate behaviors that guide actions like imprinting—when a young animal forms attachments to the first moving object it sees, often its mother. His research helped reveal how nature influences behavior and contributed to understanding the biological basis of instincts. Lorenz's work emphasized the importance of innate processes in animal behavior and helped bridge the study of animals and humans, shaping modern ethology—the scientific study of animal behavior.