Primate Lives - by Joan B Silk (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

An accessible introduction to primate behavior that focuses on adaptive solutions in specific selected species

Primate Lives explains how evolution shapes the behavioral strategies of individuals in primate groups. Understanding the evolutionary forces that shape the behavioral strategies of other primates helps us reconstruct the lives of early hominins and understand many aspects of modern human physiology, behavior, and psychology. Unlike other primatology textbooks, this book focuses on a select set of nonhuman primate species to illustrate how natural responses to challenges animals face in their everyday lives, such as finding food, avoiding predators, coping with competition, developing cooperative alliances, and learning new skills. Readers learn about the natural history of each species--including diet, ranging patterns, social organization, and mating systems--and their life history patterns. This provides the context for understanding how evolutionary strategies play out. The chapter on orangutans, for example, shows how ecological conditions influence the evolution of group living; and the chapter on baboons illustrates the adaptive value of female bonding. This approach gives readers a deep understanding of the complex interplay of evolution, phylogenetic history, and ecology.

- Suitable for undergraduate introductory courses in primatology
- Unique organizational approach that emphasizes the context in which natural selection has shaped behavior
- Generously illustrated, with easy-to-understand graphs and many color photographs
- Chapters that cover adaptive behaviors of orangutans, owl monkeys, marmosets, geladas, baboons, chimpanzees, capuchins, and gorillas

About the Author