Reviews (2)

A visual journey through the Asian wildlife world
Wild Asia: Spirit of a Continent is a beautiful oblong title providing a visual journey through the Asian wildlife world based on an international television series by the Natural History New Zealand. Enjoy color photos and a variety of writers who focus on their regional knowledge of Asia, from the Arctic tundra to central Asia. An exceptional visual display blends with nature insights.

Vivacious Beauty
This book was a great buy for me. Although it is very general as animals and plants go, it opens up the wonder of Asia to the reader. Its pictures are extremely magnificent; they are the main focus of the book. It is said a picture tells a thousand words, and it is very true for this book. The color and great shots are just as good as it gets, next to being there. ... Read more

Book Description

From an early age, humans know a surprising amount about basic physical principles, such as gravity, force, mass, and shape. We can see this in the way that young children play, and manipulate objects around them. The same behavior has long been observed in primates - chimpanzees have been shown to possess a remarkable ability to make and use simple tools. But what does this tell us about their inner mental state - do they therefore share the same understanding to that of a young child? Do they understand the simple, underlying physical principles involved? Though some people would say that they do, this book reports groundbreaking research that questions whether this really is the case. Folk Physics for Apes challenges the assumptions so often made about apes. It offers us a rare glimpse into the workings of another mind, examining how apes perceive and understand the physical world - an understanding that appears to be both similar to, and yet profoundly different from our own. The book will have broad appeal to evolutionary psychologists, developmental psychologists, and those interested in the sub-disciplines of cognitive science (philosophy, anthropology). The book additionally offers for developmental psychologists some valuable new non-verbal techniques for assessing causal understanding in young children. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Groundbreaking, Definitive Research
The book is exceptionally well written, and the research behind it is powerful and compelling. I first came across Povinelli's work in a special Scientific American issue on intelligence, where he debated his former mentor, Gordon Gallup, on the nature and extent of chimpanzee self awareness. I was wowed by the strength and elegence of his reasoning then, and again in his previous book, "What Young Chimpanzees Know About Seeing", perhaps all the more so because his conclusions run so completely counter to what I had been conditioned to think about chimps from depictions in popular culture.

This book is even better and more full of revelations than his previous work. I couldn't put it down. On top of that, it is an outstanding example of the rigorous application of scientific method, and could provide many terrific examples for teachers trying to teach the scientific method to students.

"Folk Physics for Apes" is probably the best scientific book I've read, beating out tough competition from "The Selfish Gene" and "The Extended Phenotype" (R. Dawkins), "The Dinosaur Heresies" (R. Bakker), as well as other top notch books on the nature of mind, like "An Anthropologist on Mars" (O. Sacks) and "The Rediscovery of the Mind" (J. Searle).

Simply the best! ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (2)

This is a great book intended to ecology specialists
A review of this book has been published in the following journal:

Houle, A. (1999). Book-Review: Foraging for survival: Yearling baboons in Africa. Behavioural Processes. (in press)

This book is destined to become a classic in primatology.
This is a story of how eleven juvenile baboons feed themselves. The setting: Amboseli National Park, Kenya. This is, however, much more than a simple story. Throughout, Altmann engages the reader with his elegant analysis - rich with ecological detail - of the costs and benefits primates must negotiate in their daily pursuit of requisite nutrients and energy. Baboons are exemplary eclectic omnivores; still, as Altmann quotes, "there is no such thing as a free lunch." Bearing this in mind, he sets out to evaluate the balancing act baboons must achieve in maximizing nutrient intake, while at the same time minimizing toxic accumulation of plant secondary metabolites.

At the outset, Altmann describes what the baboons ate, how they ate it, and what foods they avoided altogether during the study period (1975-1976). He then identifies what baboons should eat. A foraging strategy is an ultimate endpoint, achieved via an array of potential tactical routes. Altmann evaluates both the feeding tactics and the eclectic foraging strategy of his young baboons by identifying the degree to which they deviate from an optimum model of adaptive feeding traits. The baboons' actual dietary intake is compared to the specifications of adequate and optimal diets; this is done for both an average yearling's diet, as well as on individual variance from the predicted diets.

Deviations from the optimum are viewed as indicators of potential differences in reproductive fitness. Although the feeding data stem from research undertaken in the mid-1970s, Altmann takes advantage of the two succeeding decades to relate differences in juvenile diets to longevity and fitness outcomes later in life. This historical depth is particularly valuable because it tests the model by evaluating whether those baboons that come closer to the optimum as juveniles have higher fitness as adults.

Altmann expands on the extreme selectivity exhibited by baboons, providing details on the toxic load, protein, carbohydrate, water content, and load of various plant species and the manner in which baboons maximize (or minimize) their intake of these food components. Finally, he assesses the anatomical and behavioral attributes that may contribute to making baboons one of the most successful and broadly distributed primate species. To complement the main body of the text, Altmann includes a series of appendices and tables in which he evaluates various methodological and definitional issues relating to calculating feeding bouts and dietary intake. Here, he presents additional detail on diet composition and the nutritional and toxic attributes of plant foods.

The work's emphasis on juvenile feeding behavior is an unusual yet valuable feature. This developmental stage is often overlooked in studies of non-human primate behavior and ecology, despite the fact that this period, and the transition from a milk diet to an adult diet, are undoubtedly critical to our understanding of adult fitness and life history patterns.

However, some caution is warranted: This book was not intended for the casual student of animal feeding behavior, nor for those new to optimal foraging theory. Altmann's models, food intake calculations, and feeding bout formulae are exacting, and quite abstracted from the experience of observing feeding behavior. Before embarking into this volume, non-modelers will have to review the technical terminology that necessarily accompanies Optimization Theory. In addition, I do not view the generalizations (outlined in Chapter Two) based on the relationships among body size, patch size, and dietary selectivity to be particularly illuminating. Too many exceptions to his proposed relationships can be found for such generalizations to be of much explanatory utility.

Nonetheless, this book is destined to become a classic in primate feeding behavior. It is exhaustive in its breadth, a pleasure to read, and sets the standard for amalgamation of modeling theory and ecological observation. ... Read more

Book Description

Hardbound. This volume is a new, timely and fitting extension to the Handbook of Chemical Neuroanatomy, focussing on the neurochemical circuitry of the primate brain. The book will compliment the growing efforts to apply the analytical strategies of chemical neuroanatomy to the primate brain.

The goal of this volume is to develop a broad-based coverage of human and non-human primate chemical neuroanatomic details together within a volume in which details on transmitters and systems can be appreciated.

The eight comprehensive chapters that comprise this volume deal with large global concepts and datasets which not only create an initial coverage of the entire primate neuraxis, but also capture useful points of information on the chemical neuranatomy of the primate nervous system.

An excellent, informative book, and a welcome addition to the sparse literature in this field. ... Read more

Book Description

Infanticide by males is relatively common in primates, carnivores, and rodents, although it tends to be rare even in species in which it occurs. Is this behavior pathological or accidental, or does it reflect a conditional reproductive strategy for males in certain circumstances? In this book, case studies and reviews confirm the adaptive nature of infanticide by males in primates, and help to predict which species should be vulnerable to this phenomenon.Much of the book is devoted to exploring the evolutionary consequences of the threat of infanticide by males for social and reproductive behavior and physiology. Written for graduate students and researchers in animal behavior, behavioral ecology, biological anthropology, and social psychology, this book shows that social systems are shaped by ecological pressures, as well as social pressures such as infanticide risk. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A place of both light and darkness
This book of infinite character and magnificent amaizements is a one in a life-time. It is a passionate book keeping your immense interest and curiosity from the first to the last page. It describes the life of the Apes in their wonderful habitat as well as their surroundings with the constant threat from humans. With beautifully well done pictures, this book journeys you to a different world. ... Read more

Book Description

Honorable Mention, Association of American Publishers 1998 Professional/Scholarly Publishing Annual Award in Biological Science Based on a six-year investigation in Tanzania's Gombe National Park, this book is the first long-term field study of a predator-prey relationship involving two wild primates. Because chimpanzees are often used as models of how early humans may have lived, Stanford's findings offer insight into the possible role of early hominids as predators, a little understood aspect of human evolution. "Excellent. An important study of the relationship between chimpanzees and their prey." --Jane Goodall "[An] entertaining analysis of the evolutionary whys, behavioral ecology wherefores and natural history hows of a fascinating predator-prey system...[The] wealth of detail makes it hard to believe that, until two decades ago, chimps were thought of as entirely peaceful vegetarians. Just read Craig Stanford's Chimpanzee and Red Colobus to discover how wrong we all were." --New Scientist ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Exploring War in the Chimp World
I'm not a primatologist, thus this review is for people who may have a curiosity about chimp behavior as it may or may not relate to humans -- particularly the "warring behaviors" of chimps. The author packs a lot of research in this book -- statistical and anecdotal. Well written, highly readable. For those who like to see graphs and charts, there are also plenty of those. I bought this book as part of my research for teaching a war short stories college course. I was interested in learning about "violence" in animals and insects and comparing that violence with the human tendency to war. Well, I found plenty of relationships, and after a while, it became difficult to not see human behavior reflected in the fairly objective reports from the author/researcher. The information carnivorous habits (chimps hunt and eat colobus monkeys) is fascinating. As with Jane Goodall's research, the reader learns the individual characteristics and personalities of chimps in their peculiar society -- important, I think, as a way of viewing each animal as a societal force and to understanding the complex interrelationships, and their ties to power struggles. Most importantly, the book provides an insight into human behavior and how we negotiate and manipulate to achieve higher levels of power. ... Read more

Book Description

It's one thing to look at apes in a zoo! It's quite another to bring them up from babies, have them rule your home, possess your heart and bring more laughter and chaos into your life than you can imagine! Animal lovers will understand a family who complicated their lives and their travels with Great Danes, extra special mutts, cats and, above all, children. Non-animal lovers will immediately reform. The gibbons joined the Vanderhoefs in Bangkok and came home with them to the United States thereby causing the transference of a Thai family and the building of a new house to contain the ever growing multitude. They also caused an upheaval in the quiet course of events in the, then, small town of Vienna, Virginia. Gibbons are the smallest and most beautiful of the ape family. Penny and Pogo's inventiveness, humor, problems and intelligence would fill more than one book, but here they are, just as they climbed into the Vanderhoef family trees. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Wonderful!
Don't miss this sensational book about two small apes (if you want to be really irritating, you can refer to them as monkeys), who came to live with the author, her husband, their children, their two dogs, two guinea pigs, two mongooses, cat and crane (they were also offered a baby elephant, which they refused--God knows why!) in Banbkok. It's a great, great book because it's beautifully written, poignant, and sidesplitting--offering, along the way, wonderful descriptions of things you might never have thought about, such as automobile air conditioning in the l950s. Imagine Dr. Doolittle meeting the von Trapp family if the Von Trapp family hadn't been such a bunch of humorless saps. The book also includes photos, including some of the author, who looks much like M.F.K. Fisher in the great Man Ray photo. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Nice effort; needs a little tinkering
I liked this book. It offers an informative and broad overview of the achievements in primatology during the late 20th century, particularly those of women. As a layperson, I appreciate very much that "Beauty and the Beasts" is intellectually stimulating, but not overwhelming.

The subject matter is riveting: Women who sacrifice their lives to the study of primates. They risk being mauled by the subjects of their observations, eaten by lions, gored by bulls, kidnapped, raped--by both terrorists and orang-utans--and murdered. They often sacrifice their familial relationships, the opportunities of husbands and children and social interaction with other human beings. Carole Jahme takes on an enormous amount of material in her well organized and easily accessible book.

I disagree with some of her politics, particularly regarding motherhood and infanticide. We are given case after case citing the importance of young primates fully bonding with their mothers, yet Jahme repeatedly excuses the many female primatologists she profiles for all but abandoning their young children. She also argues that infanticide is biological and defends British law which generally punishes the crime with probation and psychiatric care. I cannot excuse a mother murdering her baby, particularly in developed Western countries where women have options. Despite our biological urges, we have moral obligations to rise above nature. But these represent mere paragraphs in a highly enjoyable book.

The editing, however, is no less than criminal as it unavoidably undermines Jahme's scholarly credibility. There are numerous grammatical errors and confusing sentences. Most unfortunate are the several dozen typos. Of the most notable are on page 240 where we are informed that "Picasso also sketched a money painting a nude woman" and on pages 299-300 where primatologist Amy Parish is twice referred to as "Paris" rather than Parish. This is inexcusable.

I also find the title and cover design/photograph inappropriate. Both seem a bit trite for this intellectual undertaking and tend to perpetuate the stereotype of lovely Western white women in the jungle living as one with the animals.

All criticisms aside, I recommend this book. It offers insightful perspectives toward the evolution of human beings and the sentience of all life--there is God in everything. We are left with the realization that though we as the dominant species can sing arias and build hospitals, we are not entitled to hold barbaric dominion over earth. "Beauty and the Beasts" is a worthwhile read (though I might wait for a revised edition).

Disorganized and Juvenile
This book was a great idea, and Jahme has gathered loads of interesting data. Unfortunately, she has no idea how to organize it or write about it. She writes like a C student in a freshman composition class. It is incredibly frustrating to try to follow any line of argument or indeed any narrative in this book, because it is constantly being interrupted by anything else that is on Jahme's mind at the moment, relevant or not. Everything makes her think of something else, and so the anecdote or argument originally being developed gets left far, far behind. This lack of organization in itself would be endurable if Jahme did not have a very juvenile writing style as well. I was appalled that the manuscript was accepted for publication: the editor should have insisted that Jahme work with a ghost writer.

This book does a real disservice to the intelligent, dedicated women who have devoted themselves to primatology. Readers would be better served by reading the excellent books of primate researcher Sue Savage-Rumbaugh.

Women and primatology?
This entertaining book by primatologist Jahme discusses female primatologists. Jahme heralds the achievements of well-known luminaries such as Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, Birute Galdikas and others, including paleontologist-archeologist Mary Leakey (who only in a very technical sense was a primatologist). More important perhaps, she justifiably draws attention to the disproportionate contributions of female compared to male scientists in the study and pioneering understanding of primates. The style and presentation are anecdotal and personal, yet one can easily come to appreciate the major achievements of the women through both description and photographs. To add a trendy touch, there are photos from movies ranging from documentaries made about female primatologists to famed Hollywood productions such as the Planet of the Apes series. Because this is a book for the general public, the frontispiece figure depicting a "primate family tree" is unfortunate. It shows all the "sidelines," and from lowly beginnings presents a near straight lineage up to the "Cro-magnons." This kind of iconography perpetuates the 19th-century (not Darwinian) notion of directed evolution toward our glorious selves. A handsome book, recommended for general readers.

An informative and exceptionally well written text
That 62% of all primatologists who study chimpanzees, orangutans, and gorillas in hazardous and arduous terrains all over the world are women. Given the rigors of the fieldwork, this is nothing short of amazing. Some were once recruited to the field by Dr. Louis Leakey because he believed women to be more empathic and less biased observers than their male counterparts. He was right! These women range from the famous (Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Mark Leakey) to those known only within their profession (Shirley McGrill, Birute Galdikas), to others known only in obscurity. Beauty And The Beasts is the story of these women as authoritatively related by primatologist and documentary film maker Carole Jahme. The informative and exceptionally well written text is enhanced with an impressive section of photographs and tidbits of trivia (Maureen O'Sullivan, who played "Jane" in the Tarzan movies, couldn't abide Jiggs, who played Tarzan's chimpanzee companion "Cheeta"). Beauty And The Beasts is a very strongly recommended title for academic and community library collections, primatology students, and the non-specialist general reader with an interest in the history of primatology.

Why are the majority of primatologists women?
What impulse lures some women to abandon home and career for a harsh world studying primates in jungles? Carole Jahme's Beauty And The Beasts examines the psyche and methods of women who have pioneered primate studies, and who have followed Leakey's venture into the world of primatology, as field scientists. The intriguing question of why the majority of primatologists are women makes for added intrigue as chapters examine these women and their work. ... Read more

Book Description

This book is about the social life of monkeys, apes and humans. The central theme is the importance of social information and knowledge to a full understanding of primate social behavior and organization. Its main purpose is to stress evolutionary continuity, i.e. that there are direct connections between human and nonhuman society. This view is often downplayed elsewhere in the anthropological literature where the notion that humans have culture and animals do not is prevalent. Topics covered include an overview of the contexts of behavior; a comparison of blind strategies and tactical decision-making; social cognition; a review of intentionalist interpretations of behavior; kinship; language and its social implications; and the constraints of culture. ... Read more

Book Description

Picture a massive gorilla-a 350-pound chest-beater as strong as six men-tolerating all kinds of playful torment from his impish baby. Apes hug and kiss and shed tears just like people do. Discover other little-known human similarities-and important differences.

Zoobooks, the 59-book animal series - the "everything you wanted to know but didn't know who to ask" guide to the world's most fascinating creatures. Each exciting edition of Zoobooks is packed with current scientific facts, striking photography, beautiful illustrations and unique activities that teach children about animals and the habitats in which they live. With innovative publications and products, Wildlife Education, Ltd. has enriched the lives of children, parents, and educators nationwide for 20 years. All titles are offered in library-bound hardcover and soft-cover styles.Zoobooks, ideal for the knowledge-hungry 4-11 year old! ... Read more

Book Description

A lifelong fascination with primates led Dale Peterson to Africa, which he crisscrossed in hope of sighting chimpanzees in the wild. As with any adventure worth retelling, however, Peterson's detours are as notable as his destinations. With the good-natured fatalism of the tested traveler, Peterson tells of trains and riverboats, opportunists and ecotourists, rain forests and shantytowns as he conveys the pitfalls of going forth on a budget as tiny as the continent is vast. Along the way, we also meet Jane Goodall and several other renowned primate researchers and caretakers. This is travel writing with a purpose, an account that inspires both admiration and concern for Africa's people, places, and natural diversity. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

reader and diver
Two of these reviews (which were very critical), must have an axe to grind because this book has been on the market since 1977 when underwater photography was done with the old Nikon IIs with manual underwater settings. It's a miracle the photographs are as good as they are, and they are still very good. I also have no problem with the biology nor with the references and thanks given to the biologists who assisted in putting the book together. The book has been extremely popular with divers, sailors, beachcombers and young marine biologists for 25 years. I've seen people with it at Tongue Point, Neah Bay, Harpers Ferry, and Olympia Marina. I have used it that long myself and have worn two copies out.

Not recommended under any circumstances
With all the excellent publications on Pacific Northwest marine life that are now available, it is unfortunate that this book is still offered for sale. The photographs are extremely poor, but worse still are the many misidentifications and other mistakes. These are by no means minor, and as a professional marine biologist I could never recommend this book for anyone.

Inaccurate, with extremely poor photographs
Most marine life books with misidentified animals are redeemed (in part) by their nice pictures- not so with this one. The photographs have poor color and lighting, and even those that are correctly labeled are often not useful for identification. Far superior books covering Northwest marine life include ones by Harbo, Kozloff (intertidal), Gotshall (subtidal), and Lamb (fish); for more detail on various groups (e.g. nudibranchs, crabs) see the excellent Sea Challengers publications.

This is the best and most complete fieldbook of the PNW
This fieldbook includes pictures and the biology of all common and not so common marine animals one would find in the waters from Northern California to the South Eastern Alaskan waters. Unlike most books of this nature, the beginner as well as the experienced scientist can use this one with ease. It is accurate ... Read more

Reviews (1)

I adore this book.
I love animals and bought this book to have in my library. It has darling photographs of apes and monkeys doing things that look so human. Plus, it also offers a lot of valuable information about apes and monkeys. ... Read more