Margret Else Schleidt studied Biology at the Universities of Bonn, Zurich and Freiburg.

She then completed her PhD in animal ethology in 1955 under the supervision of Professor Otto Koehler in Freiburg i Br., before working as part of Konrad Lorenz’ research group at the Max-Planck-Institut für Verhaltensphysiologie in Seewiesen.

In 1974, she joined of the Human Ethology group led by Irenäus Eibl-Eibesfeldt in Seewiesen.

She wrote papers on the importance of olfaction, mother-child relationships, and rhythmic movement phenomena.

Her research and lectures influenced the work of colleagues in her field, and she was cited by many including Konrad Lorenz, Irenäus Eibl-Eibesfeldt, Wulf Schiefenhövel [2] and others.