13363. ANIMAL PLAY. An overview and analysis of the phenomenon of “play” observed in documented across a broad spectrum of birds and mammals. Defines animal play and the controversy surrounding the construct, describes the various categories of play, considers variations in play behavior across the life span and between sexes, and examines theories of the function and/or purpose of animal play. Keywords: animal play behavior term paper. 15 pages, 45 footnotes, 21 bibliographic sources.