Charles Darwin is regarded as the father of evolution and developed his theory based on his observations of animals; he is frequently referenced by Dawkins.

John Maynard Smith is known for developing the theory of evolutionarily stable strategies, which Dawkins applies to explain the evolution of genes.

V.C. Wynne-Edwards is a proponent of group selection, positing that organisms can evolve traits for the good of their species, a view often opposed by Dawkins.

David Lack proposes a genetic explanation for birds' reproductive strategies, which Dawkins uses to challenge group selectionist arguments.

R.L. Trivers develops the Parental Investment theory, mentioned by Dawkins, which measures the effort parents invest in offspring and illustrates different evolutionary strategies between males and females.

R.A. Fisher is an influential biologist mentioned by Dawkins for his explanation of the one-to-one sex ratio as a result of selfish genes.

A. Zahavi proposes theories in sexual selection, suggesting males might develop seemingly weak traits to signal their inherent strength.

W.D. Hamilton describes how animal behaviors like herding can protect selfish genes and co-authors a pivotal paper on the connection between game theory and biology.

Robert Axelrod, a political scientist, collaborates with Hamilton to apply the Iterated Prisoner’s Dilemma to behaviors in a computer tournament, showing simpler and nicer strategies as successful.