Erich Klinghammer (February 28, 1930 – October 6, 2011) was a German and American wolf biologist best known for his contributions to the fields of ethology and behavioural ecology, particularly that of canids.

[3] After discovering he was allergic to birds, he switched the focal species of his research on animal behaviour to grey wolves donated by the Brookfield Zoo and housed in an enclosure on his property near Battle Ground, Indiana.

In 1968, he transferred to the Department of Psychological Sciences at Purdue University to hold the position of associate professor, continuing his pioneering study on wolf pack dynamics and social behaviour, including early analyses of wolf howls[5] and developing the techniques of socialization for wildlife in captivity.

Extended scientific observations of wolves in captivity allowed their complex social behaviours to be characterized, information which would later be corroborated or differences examined by more extensive and advanced field studies.

[11][12][13] The Erich Klinghammer Award is given in his memory for outstanding contributions in the fields of wolf behaviour, ecology, and conservation.