Reviews (1)

A compilation of essays on primates
This is a good reference book for those with a strong background in biology who are interested in primates. The essays are well organized and color photos in the center provide easy reference to some species. However, the language can be difficult to understand. I would not recommend it for someone who is looking for lite reading ... Read more

Book Description

The Great Apes (chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and orangutans) are our closest living relatives, sharing a common ancestor only five million years ago. We also share key features such as high intelligence, omnivorous diets, prolonged child-rearing and rich social lives. The Great Apes show a surprising diversity of adaptations, particularly in social life, ranging from the solitary life of orangutans, through patriarchy in gorillas to complex but different social organizations in bonobos and chimpanzees. As Great Apes are so close to humans, comparisons yield essential knowledge for modeling human evolutionary origins. Great Ape Societies provides comprehensive up-to-date syntheses of work on all four species, drawing on decades of international field work, zoo and laboratory studies. It will be essential reading for students and researchers in primatology, anthropology, psychology and human evolution. ... Read more

Book Description

This book answers the question thatâ€(tm)s on everybody's mind: “Whatâ€(tm)s it like to raise a chimpanzee in Manhattan?”Hester Mundisâ€(tm)s hilarious memoir NO, HE'S NOT A MONKEY, HE'S AN APE AND HE'S MY SON is the complete guide to raising a chimp in the heart of urban America. Join Hester, her husband, their terrifying attack dog Ahab, and the funniest monkey -- excuse us, APE -- ever to occupy an apartment on the Upper West Side of New York City in this true adventure of woman versus beast. ... Read more

Book Description

Early in her career in the late 1960s, Biruté Galdikas was handpicked, along with Jane Goodall and the late Dian Fossey, by the renowned paleontologist Louis Leakey to go out into the world and study the great apes. She went on to dedicate her life to observing orangutans in their natural habitat and has become one of the world's leading authorities on orangutans. "I had reached the point where it was hard for me to see the differences between apes and humans," Galdikas once admitted on a 48 Hours television special.

Here the famed primatologist and author of Orangutan Odyssey explores each of the great apes (gorillas, chimpanzees-including bonobos-and orangutans), interpreting the latest research and describing relationships among the different species-all in the context of the mounting threat of extinction. The 125 up-close images by internationally renowned wildlife photographer Karl Ammann illustrate the behaviors of these intriguing, humanlike animals. The result is a compelling overview of what we have learned about these fascinating creatures and, in turn, what they can teach us about ourselves. AUTHOR BIO: Biruté Mary Galdikas, one of the first to study orangutans in the wild, is a world-renowned primatologist and a founding director of Orangutan Foundation International, a global conservation organization. She is the author of Reflections of Eden: My Years with the Orangutans of Borneo and Abrams' Orangutan Odyssey. Karl Ammann is a noted wildlife photographer whose images have appeared in Orangutan Odyssey, Eating Apes, and numerous magazines. Jane Goodall is the world's foremost authority on chimpanzees. ... Read more

Book Description

Eating Apes is an eloquent book about a disturbing secret: the looming extinction of humanity's closest relatives, the African great apes-chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas. Dale Peterson's impassioned exposé details how, with the unprecedented opening of African forests by European and Asian logging companies, the traditional consumption of wild animal meat in Central Africa has suddenly exploded in scope and impact, moving from what was recently a subsistence activity to an enormous and completely unsustainable commercial enterprise. Although the three African great apes account for only about one percent of the commercial bush meat trade, today's rate of slaughter could bring about their extinction in the next few decades. Supported by compelling color photographs by award-winning photographer Karl Ammann, Eating Apes documents the when, where, how, and why of this rapidly accelerating disaster.Eating Apes persuasively argues that the American conservation media have failed to report the ongoing collapse of the ape population. In bringing the facts of this crisis and these impending extinctions into a single, accessible book, Peterson takes us one step closer to averting one of the most disturbing threats to our closest relatives.Illustrations: 16 color photographs, 6 maps ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Difficult to digest but a must-read nonetheless
With its appealing cover-picture of two baby chimps and its appalling title, "Eating Apes" is a must read for everybody interested in conservation in general and the survival of the great apes in particular. Although I've been already aware of the bushmeat crisis through voluntary work at a zoo, this book hit me hard. The scope of denial by many - individuals and conservation groups alike - paired with risky relationships between NGOs and logging companies is driving our closest living relatives - the great apes - to extinction. Dale Peterson's book encompasses every aspect of this difficult and very complex issue and Karl Ammann's pictures and comments provide further evidence of what really is happening. Everbody who makes or is going to make decisions regarding the bushmeat trade, logging, development and conservation in central Africa has to read this book before making those important and far-reaching decisions. My next task will be to check with the various conservation groups I support, to find out what they are planning to do about this subject. Depending on their answers, I may well choose to cancel some memberships. Something I haven't actually thought about before reading this book - so I hope that many others will follow suit and choose action over complacency!

Conservation's biggest failure exposed
Dale Peterson and Karl Ammann lay out the history of the commercial hunting of apes (and other species) that is driving chimps, gorillas, and bonobos rapidly towards extinction, and the direct link with the logging taking place within Central African forests. It's not surprising that logging companies don't give a hoot if our closest relatives are hunted to extinction, but what is shocking is Peterson's and Ammann's exposure of the inaction and lack of concern shown by major conservation groups, and the even more troubling partnerships between loggers and conservation groups that have enabled loggers to continue destroying the forests and the wildlife that live there. Anyone who cares about wildlife, great apes or otherwise, and donates to major conservation organizations must read this book before writing another check. Ammann, the photographer who has campaigned for nearly a decade to bring the bushmeat crisis to the world's attention, writes a compelling afterword, and provides disturbing photographs of murdered apes. My only complaints are that there were not more of Ammann's photographs included in the book, and that the indictments of major conservation groups were perhaps not scathing enough.

A family affair
Sometime far in our past, humans took up rocks and sticks to hunt food instead of scavenging from other predators. With our meat available today in shrink-wrapped containers it's easy to lose sight of that long-standing tradition. Others in the world still obtain meat in the traditional environment. The difference is that instead of spears, the weapons are high-powered shotguns. Instead of skulking through the forest seeking prey, hunters are now given rides by timber carriers using deep-penetrating access roads. In this book, Dale Peterson reveals the transformations forest hunting has undergone in West African nations. It's not a
pleasing picture, but it's valid and it's important. And it must change.

The bushmeat trade has many implications, but Peterson has chosen three significant ones. One, of course, is that by killing chimpanzees, bonobos and gorillas for food, we're consuming our nearest relations. The primate line divided only 12 million years ago, with the descendants of one line becoming today's mountain gorillas. The other line led to chimpanzees and bonobos with a spur turning off about 7 million years ago leading to you and me. The proximity of chimpanzee and human DNA patterns is no longer news, but the reminder needs to be flashed occasionally.

Another implication is health. With so much attention given to the HIV/AIDS pandemic, it's worth reflecting on its origins. More importantly, as Peterson reminds us, is to consider how it works. HIV/AIDS appears to be a recent evolutionary virus quirk. It adapts and evolves with amazing speed. The roots of it remain in the African forest and a new strain can emerge at any time. The best means of transmission from ape or monkey to human is through blood - that stuff the hunter is soaked in as he butchers his forest kill.

The third theme is the question of human relations with the rest of our environment. Human population growth is presented in a novel framework. How many humans come into existence every day is contrasted with the great ape population. Peterson calculates that the entire gorilla population is equalled by new humans every twelve hours. Population pressures in the "developed" world lead to demands for African timber products. In turn, the timber firms are cutting great swaths of forest using displaced populations for labour. To feed these workers, hunters are hired or loggers hunt and apes, due to their availability and size, become a major food source. In a feedback cycle of habitat reduction and hunting, the apes are simply being exterminated. Recovery would require sharply reduced logging. Peterson notes that trees are being taken that began growth in Michaelangelo's time, but their replacements will be cut in only forty years.

Peterson is effusive in his description of the significant role played by Swiss photographer Karl Ammann. Ammann's chance encounter with a logging truck driver revealed the role international logging firms play in the ape slaughter and the extended bushmeat trade. The logging firms, particularly CIB, contend they are providing "employment for locals, health services, food and education". Peterson explains the falsity of this contention, with "health services limited to a nurse and schools and teachers paid for by the workers' families.

Peterson argues that the long-established bushmeat tradition is already lost, displaced by commercial logging practices and new, mass hunting methods using guns, sometimes lent by government officials. If we can change a culture, such as was done with slavery, hunting traditions no longer tenable can be modified, as well. He cites the willingness of Americans to spend minimal annual funds to protect wolves, bears and other fauna. Why not establish a fund for ape protection. He calculates that US$1 billion per year could be raised with an individual contribution of but US$50. Not an enormous sum, given that other donations and military expenditures far exceed it. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

look at the pictures
Everyone should check out this book to at least look at the pictures. They are quite moving, especially of the babies.

But people moved by these pictures should see similar pictures of chickens, cows, turkeys and pigs. These pictures are easy to find, and what happens to these apes happens to these other animals at billions of times greater frequency and for equally trivial reasons. And this is at the hands of Americans, not Africans, and mostly people who wouldn't dream of eating apes.

A Disturbing And Essential Book
What animals we eat are selected by what culture we grow up in. Distant societies think nothing of eating dogs. Some closer ones think eating horse is completely acceptable. Then there are frogs, snakes, and insect larvae. It is all a matter of getting enough protein. One man's protein is another man's atrocity. Americans are used to eating meat they find in Styrofoam trays wrapped in plastic, but the indigenous peoples of central Africa have always eaten the animals living around them: elephants, antelopes, porcupines, rodents, and so on. They don't mind a stew of gorilla or a chimp's sirloin, and what of it? It's the way they have always done things. Tribal languages, in fact, often use the same word for wild animal as they do for meat. The world, however, is not the way it always was, and a shocking book, _Eating Apes_ (University of California Press) by Dale Peterson, shows that apes on the menu is not something the world ought to continue to accept.

We ourselves are members of the tribe of great apes; chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans are on the branch with us. But if African tribes don't share our scientific view or our squeamishness, traditional hunters, in predation balance over the centuries, surely are not going to do lasting harm. Traditional hunting, however, is no longer traditional. There has been an invasion from outside the continent by logging companies, making huge profits from our demand for hardwoods. The companies have lots of workers, many of them from the region, and all the workers have to be fed. Hunters, many of whom are also from the region, are hired to bring in the protein. Bows, arrows, and nets have given way to the far more efficient and deadly wire snares and automatic rifles and shotguns. Perhaps if greater firepower were the only threat to our primate cousins, they could still make it. But we are destroying their habitat (again, mostly by logging), and primates will suffer before other species because of their slow rate of reproduction. There are plenty of species headed toward extinction, but few because we are eating them, and none so close to us evolutionarily. In addition, butchering the apes may be the way humans got HIV and Ebola viruses. It may well be that you haven't heard of the problem of eating apes into extinction because the conservation organizations are keeping quiet about such a downer of a message, and because they are, believe it or not, in partnership with the loggers.

What will be needed is the courage to challenge cultural convictions. It is possible for the West to value (or at least claim to value) sensitivity to other cultures, but in the case of eating apes, it will have to impose scientific knowledge of close kinship, risk of disease, and impending loss of primates to get the native cultures to change. It may even be possible within the corporate culture, which mines habitats to get at profits, to insist not just on sustainable development (a nebulous idea the logging companies pay lip service to) but to take on a wider view of environmental improvement. You can figure up the odds of occurrence of these cultural changes, and especially if you look at our past record, you will not be optimistic. Peterson includes an appendix of what you, and what conservation organizations, can do; he obviously is not giving up hope. Perhaps it is a sign of hope that his reasonable and dispassionate account of this disaster will start many people thinking about the previously covert problem of the loss of the apes. Nevertheless, this is a profoundly disturbing and sad book, and will not be forgotten by those who can get through it. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

Tarsiiformes, or tarsiers for short, are a group of living species whose combination of derived and ancient characteristics make them pivotal to understanding the roots of primate evolution. These small-bodied, nocturnal, solitary creatures resemble lower primates in their behavior and morphology, while some genetic evidence aligns them more closely with higher primates, such as monkeys, apes, and humans. This unique combination of behavior and anatomy makes the tarsier an especially interesting and controversial animal for study among primate behaviorists, evolutionists, and taxonomists, who view the tarsiers as "living fossils" that link past and present, lower and higher primates in the long chain of evolutionary history.

Contributors to this volume draw on a range of scientific disciplines to provide a detailed examination of the past, present, and future of these intriguing primates. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

3.5 stars
If you want to know about gorillas, this can be a handy book. Not the most focused material, but still helpful nonetheless.

Cant put it down!
this book is the best! Even though gorillas are not my favorite animal this book made my like them better. Jeff Lyttle used very descriptive words that made me want to keep reading. I hope you buy this book!

This book is great!
I don't generally read non-fiction, but this book was as compelling to me as any novel. I found myself stopping on every page and asking whoever was in the room, "Did you know that..." The study of gorillas is fascinating to me now, due mainly to the style of writing of Jeff Lyttle. You'll love this book!

Insightful review of the Columbus Zoo gorilla generations.
Though this was not a subject title that I would necessarily find intriguing, it was indeed most intriguing and insightful. I found the book very easy to follow and the photos helped me to see more fully the personality distinctions of each animal.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in animals in general.

I plan to have a copy donated to the library of our local middle school.

... Read more

Book Description

The woolly spider monkey, or muriqui, is one of the most endangered primate species in the world today. Because of deforestation pressures in its natural habitat-- the Atlantic coastal forests of southeastern Brazil--the muriquis are confined to less than three percent of their original range. There are now only a dozen forest fragments known to support a total muriqui population of about 500 individuals.This book traces the natural history of the muriqui from its scientific discovery in 1806 to its current, highly endangered status. The book provides a case study of this scientifically important primate species by balancing field research and ecological issues.Through Strier's accessible presentation, readers gain a broad understanding of primate behavior and tropical conservation.The book also gives a practical account of how to set up and pursue an in-depth longitudinal study of an animal population, while describing the excitement of gaining first the muriquis' trust and then insights into their lives.The author offers the unique perspective of a highly committed anthropologist who has devoted years to the observation of this unique species, while working to train students and to protect the muriquis' remaining forest habitats.The book will interest biologists, primatologists, and zoologists, as well as anyone concerned with conservation, ecology, and animal behavior. ... Read more

Book Description

In this book, field and laboratory researchers show that the Great Apes are capable of thinking at symbolic levels, traditionally considered uniquely human. They show these high-level abilities in both social and ecological domains, including tool use, imitation, pretense, self-awareness, deception, consolation, teaching and proto-culture itself. Here, contributors emphasize the mechanisms involved in building these abilities--especially the lengthy developmental and "enculturation" processes--suggesting changes to current views on how primate andhuman intelligence have evolved.Researchers and professionals in the fields of primatology, animal behavior, anthropology, linguistics, and cognitive psychology will find much useful information in this book. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Understanding Apes' Minds
Interesting book in which a team of researchers described their look deep into and experiences with apes. This team of researchers shows the social, psychological and behavioral apects of Apes and how they set them apartfrom another animals and humans, as well as how they are similar tohumans.

Although I preferred Anne Russon's "Orangutans : Wizards ofthe Rain Forest", I would think this book would be interesting foranyone with interests in human and animal psychology. This book takes amuch more in-depth look at the apes' psychology than Russon's "Wizardsof the Rain Forest" book.

Understanding Apes' Minds
Interesting book in which a team of researchers described their look deep into and experiences with apes. This team of researchers shows the social, psychological and behavioral apects of Apes and how they set them apartfrom another animals and humans, as well as how they are similar tohumans.

Although I preferred Anne Russon's "Orangutans : Wizards ofthe Rain Forest", I would think this book would be interesting foranyone with interests in human and animal psychology. This book takes amuch more in-depth look at the apes' psychology than Russon's "Wizardsof the Rain Forest" book. ... Read more

Book Description

Research on the mental abilities of chimpanzees and bonobos has been widely celebrated and used in reconstructions of human evolution. In contrast, scant attention has been paid to the abilities of gorillas and orangutans. This volume aims to complete the picture of hominoid cognition by bringing together the work on gorillas and orangutans and setting it in comparative perspective. This book's introductory chapters set the evolutionary context for comparing cognition in gorillas and orangutans to that of chimpanzees, bonobos, and humans. The remaining chapters focus primarily on the kinds and levels of intelligence displayed by orangutans and gorillas compared to other great apes, including performances in the classic domains of tool use and tool making, imitation, self awareness, social communication, and symbol use. ... Read more

Book Description

Anthropologists have traditionally ignored the New World primates because they are not in the mainstream of evolution leading to the human species. Yet, because they exhibit parallel adaptations to those of apes and Old World monkeys – tool use, a wider variety of mating systems, and parallels to human language - they provide us with a unique source of information. This book, whose contributors are leading experts on various aspects of New World monkeys, explores the tremendous diversity to be found among neotropical primate species that have adapted to the highly varied Central and South American ecosystems. These studies provide striking similarities to, as well as intriguing differences from, the heretofore better known adaptations in the Old World. In the process, they shed new light upon the evolutionary process as it is played out among our primate relations on a neotropical stage.

Part Two of the book consists of an authoritative synopsis completed before his death by the late Dr. Kinzey, describing basic behavior for each genus of the sixteen known New World genera, along with maps locating their habitats. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A message for all of us
'The Orang-utans' underscores the urgency for attention to the current circumstances and future realities facing wild orang-utans in Borneo and Malaysia. Kaplan and Rogers present scientific evidence demonstrating the extraordinary capabilities and behavior of this species, as well as narratives on personal encounters with rehabilitated orang-utans. Incredibly complex scientific evidence and principles are presented in a way that allows for the majority of readers to understand and recognize the significance of these data. The authors must be commended for making these scientific discoveries so comprehensible and, in doing so, allowing us to recognize the unique abilities of this species. Although, primatologists that specialize in research on orang-utans are aware of their cognitive and social abilities, this information is not easily accessible to most people. Moreover, when scientific data are attainable they are often communicated in a way that precludes understanding by a nonspecific audience. Kaplan and Rogers make even molecular genetics understandable. Perhaps more importantly, Kaplan and Rogers provide insight into individual orang-utans and thereby highlight the sentience of these beings. We are forced to recognize many similarities between humans and orang-utans, as well as to respect and marvel at the differences between these species. While reading this book you become cognizant of the enormous loss the extinction of the orang-utan would represent. Yet, we are reminded of the impinging reality of orang-utan extinction. Kaplan and Rogers provide objective descriptions of the impacts of human contact, selective logging, and reforestation on the survival of free-ranging orang-utans. It is through the eyes, and writings, of researchers such as these that we will be forced to recognize the importance and uniqueness of other species, and to consider the implications of our actions and conservation efforts.

Nothing New for Those Familiar wtih Orangutans
This book is written by two experienced field researchers. The information presented in the book is more like a review - no new information is presented. Furthermore, information presented on orangutans in captivity is presented in a very negative way despite the fact that neither author has any experience with the care or captive husbandry of this species. Although this species faces possible extinction in next 20 years or so, no concrete, realistic actions steps are given to solve the "real socio-economic" problems in in the countires where orangutans are found. Overall, a very disappointing book. ... Read more

Book Description

Towards the end of the 1950s biologist, investigating thequestion of how art originated, came up with the idea of gettingmonkeys to paint pictures. Consequently, exhibitions were organized andattracted much controversy, catching the attention of artists such asDali and Picasso. Monkey Painting places this colorful episode withinthe context of the human sciences. Thierry Lenain explores for thefirst time the origins of "monkey art"from the classic theme of theMonkey- Painter to the most recent experimentsshowing how this amazingactivity can be part of a cultural history where modern art andevolutionary thought meet. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

academia-cruising at its best
Interested in art? Interested in critical sociology/ geography/ cultural studies? This book is damn fine, much more than I expected. Moving on from a controversial a subject as primate-painting in the early sixties I expected a re-hash of naive socio-biological studies, but was pleasantly surprised. This book is enormously thoughtful, revovling around two main sections. The first gives historical and cultural context to the phenomenon of ape-painting; a frank and non-sentimental account which nevertheless inspires faith in the extension of moral rights to the animal kingdom... The second section is a more detailed analysis of the aesthetics of chimp art, especially of the 'origianl' chimp artist, Congo. Many questions are opened, few answered, as is to be expected - and desired - of a book in such a cutting edge field; I can only hope it is the first of many such books... ... Read more

Book Description

The most complex creatures in the animal kingdom, great apes communicate through an extensive system of hoots and calls; empathize with and console each other; and create tools for hunting and grooming. Through an engaging text and stunning full-color photography you'll quickly appreciate the intelligence, vulnerability, and charisma of every member of this fascinating family: the outrageous orangutan, grazing gorilla, chatty chimpanzee, and boisterous bonobo. Each member has adapted its lifestyle in various ways to ensure its survival, from traveling large distances through dense rainforest in order to mate (orangutans) to cleansing their bodies of toxins by eating certain leaves (chimps). 50 remarkable pictures from the world's top photographers include touching close-ups of an orangutan mother and her new baby; the hair-raising charge of a huge silverback gorilla; and playful images of chimpanzees fishing.You'll understand why it is so important to keep the great apes safe, even as logging destroys their habitat and hunters endanger their existence.
... Read more

Book Description

Primates include a wide variety of mammals from the relatively ancient lineages of lemurs on Madagascar and tiny tarsiers of Southeast Asia to the gorillas of montane Africa. Of course, humankind are also primates - one twig on the primate evolutionary tree. Primate Anatomy: An Introduction, Second Edition is a succinct and readable survey of primatology focusing particularly on the anatomy of primates. Following an introduction, the chapters are organized by organ system. Also included are chapters dealing with reproduction, chromosomes, blood groups, and molecular studies of primate evolution. This book would be ideal for an introductory course in primatology and should appeal to both faculty and students who need a brief treatment of the essentials of primatology.

* The only introductory text on primatology on the market
* First time comprehensive survey of molecular primatology
* Plenty of information that is not found in other textbooks
* Up-to-date discussion of all aspects of taxonomy and anatomy
* Many unique and informative illustrations, charts, and tables ... Read more

Book Description

Praise for the previous edition: "A fascinating firsthand account of the behavior and intelligence of orangutans, Russon's book is also an account of the successes, failures, and politics of orangutan rehabilitation in the forests of Borneo and Sumatra... The book is lavishly illustrated with full color photographs."- Choice

The only great apes found in Asia, these arboreal wizards are by nature elusive and solitary, and inhabit nearly inaccessible tropical rainforests. The tragedy is that orangutans are almost extinct, surviving in the wild only on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra where human influx is rapidly appropriating their habitat.

Based on fifteen years of research, this extraordinary and definitive book focuses on orangutan intelligence and behavior.

This book includes: - A scientific history of orangutans - Detailed descriptions of orangutans and their natural habitat - Astonishing behavior patterns - Rehabilitation operations at Camp Leakey and Wanariset - The complex politics of orangutan rescue work - Results of orangutans released back into the forest - Updated resources - What the future holds for these primates.

With one hundred color photographs taken by the author during her visits to the rainforests, Orangutans is an absorbing and instructive look at the unusual world of orangutans. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Good science writing on Orangutans
Not taking anything away from Birute Galdikas who has been studying Orangutans longer than Anne Russon, but this book is different than Galdikas' two books, and as a scientific overview of these great apes it is hard to beat. Galdikas' REFLECTIONS OF EDEN mixed natural history with memoir, and ORANGUTAN ODYSSEY is slim - less text and more photographs - and serves as a good coffee-table book.

Russon worked with ex-captive and former pet Orangs who were stationed at a rehabilitation center learning how to be "wild". Her descriptions of their behavior is fascinating. They have extended childhoods, and in the wild they would spend this time with their mothers learning by imitation. In captivity their learning ability has been transfered into a fondness for using human tools. The incredible imitative skills of Orangs was a revelation for Russon. This is something that primatologists have stressed as significant about all the great apes. Galdikas recognizes this as a challenge in reintroducing apes to the wild. Frans de Waal goes further and has done studies on how such "human imprinting" has impinged on the animal's "culture".

Russon only provides an introduction to such topics as animal intelligence and whether or not they have a culture. Her examples of Orang learning and imitative behavior make for a thoroughly interesting read and may encourage readers to further explore the subject. I therefore highly recommend this well written book.

Inlook on animal psychology
Interesting and funny look at the behavior of the endangered species of orangutans. This book describes the experience of Russon and her colleagues' work in transitioning abused and pet orangutans back to livingin a natural environment. Orangutans are visibly very cunning animals,which have managed to trick the researchers in this national park more thanonce. Russan recounts her experience with an orangutan that insisted onwashing clothes, and describes stories of them raiding secured guard postsand untying canoes and taking them up and down the river.

I recommendthis book to anyone who has interests in psychology, especially that ofanimals and people with pets. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Chimpanzees, the human species' closest living relatives, spend their lives in serial relationships: they feed, sleep, mate, and socialize in groups whose members constantly change. Given this complex and fluid social environment, how do chimps coordinate their movements to travel as a group to, say, another feeding spot?

The question of how animals organize their group movements has long puzzled observers; even today, the mechanics of how monarch butterflies and arctic terns move from place to place are matters of considerable conjecture. In On the Move, 30 leading scholars examine that question and its implications for the study of animal communication, cognition, and memory.Some argue that carnivores and nonhuman primates lack mental representations and "game plans" for movement, relying instead on "rules of thumb" to gather information about the ground before them. Other scholars maintain that phenomena like the echolocation of dolphins and whales and the long-distance, movement-coordinating signals of elephants suggest a complex knowledge of local environments.

What is certain, the contributors seem to agree, is that "group movement is as much a social behavior as it is an ecological response to the distribution and availability of resources and risks," and therefore worthy of continued study. --Gregory McNamee ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Monkeys on the Move (as well as other species)
This book gives the ranging patterns of various species of primates, from ring-tailed lemurs, to mountain gorillas to sulawasi black crested macaques. Most of the chapters are based on the reseachers own work, but some chapters are only reviews of others' work. Very good resource for those interested in ranging as a general topic, not quite as good for specific primate info, although the chapter on the lemurs gives a great summary chart, and so do a couple of other chapters. We used this text for a class at State University of New York, Stonybrook campus and it served our class well. Good springboard for research papers, although the chapter sequence seems to be haphazard. All in all, a very good, solid text on primate ranging, recommended for anyone with a serious interest in primatology. The methods are given for each research undertaking (note the various forms used), and while some may leave you scratching your head (a little to much info on tree diameter), if nothing else this will surely make you appreciate all the work that goes into animal tracking (there are some chapters on other species, including one on human nomadic travelers). ... Read more

Amazon.com

The four great apes--gorilla, chimpanzee, bonobo (pygmy chimpanzee), and orangutan--are human beings' closest relatives. This lavishly illustrated book is a superb guide to all four species. The chapters are organized by topic--ecology, social life, mind, and conservation--and do an exceptional job of comparing the species to each other, not just to humans. You end up with a good feeling for the characters of the different apes and how they differ in environment and personality, from the quiet gorillas to the sensual bonobos. For instance, orangutans in the wild are solitary, so among primatologists they have a reputation for being less socially intelligent than the others. But zookeepers know them as the animal Houdinis, leading tool users and escape artists.

The Great Apes includes many sidebar biographies of both human primatologists and famous individual apes. Ham (the space chimp), Kanzi the bonobo, and matriarch Flo of Gombe Stream Reserve get equal time with Diane Fossey, Frans de Waal, and Jane Goodall herself. Altogether, it's the best single-volume guide to our next of kin. --Mary Ellen Curtin ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Fantastic Book
The Great Apes - a brilliant book full of fantastic photographs of our next of kin. A must read for anyone interested in great apes or the people who study and protect them. ... Read more