About SPE

The Portuguese Society of Ethology was founded in 1987 and aims to promote the study of animal behaviour in Portugal, considering its various aspects. The society's activities include the publication of the scientific journal acta ethologica, the organisation of a National Congress and other scientific meetings, the promotion of international relations with similar societies, and the dissemination of Ethology at the secondary education level.

This page intends to gather relevant information for those interested in the study of animal behaviour in Portugal. Contributions about scientific meetings, links to other animal behaviour pages, job advertisements in the field of Ethology, ideas about the website, or other information considered relevant are welcome. All contributions should be sent to geral@etologia.pt

Team

2025/2027

Board:
José Ricardo Paula – President
Ana Leitão – Vice-President
Joana Castro – Secretary
Manuel Vieira – Vice-Secretary
Sandra Trigo – Treasurer
Ana Gomes – Member
Cat Shepperd – Member

General Assembly Board
Paulo Gama Mota – President
Clara Amorim – Vice-President
Beatriz Pereira – Secretary

Audit Committee
Gonçalo Cardoso – President
Rita Covas – Secretary
Mélanie Court – Reporter

Vitor Almada Award

The Vitor Almada Award is granted by the SPE to the best student oral communication presented at each National Congress of the SPE, and consists of support (registration and assistance with travel) for the student's participation in an international ethology conference to present their work. The aim is to reward the best examples of student work and promote their internationalisation, through contact with a broader scientific community.
 
This award pays tribute to one of the greatest Portuguese ethologists, who greatly contributed to the development of Ethology in Portugal and the enhancement of scientific research quality. Vitor Almada was one of the founders of the SPE and its President for several years, was the scientific mentor of a generation of researchers in animal behaviour, and an enthusiastic and inspiring scholar of behaviour.
awardee list

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The SPE LOGO

The SPE logo is inspired by rock art and refers to the observation and study of animal behaviour that has been conducted since prehistoric times.
 
Several iconic or exuberant behaviours (nuptial ceremonies, fights, etc.) were proposed for the SPE logo, but they lacked the originality for a consensus. One of the founding members, António Bracinha Vieira, recalled rock representations of animals, some of which show attention to their behaviour in a natural environment. After going through many illustrations in books about Prehistory, and excluding extinct species (mammoths, aurochs, bog deer), the consensus fell on some goats, of an indefinable species, which could be contemporary. The SPE logo was then designed by Raul Veríssimo, inspired by these rock representations.