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A greatly revised and reformatted edition, now with companion CD-ROM! The second edition of this outstanding workbook by a veteran prima-tologist conveys the fascination, ecstasy, and unpredictability inherent in thescientific research of primates. Seven introductory chapters incorporate the latest concepts in the field, offering a detailed guide for conducting scientific behavioral studies. Paterson explains the two main categories of statistics,demonstrates the practicalities of calculating a standard deviation, and discusses the usefulness of different high-tech devices for data collection and recording. Twenty-three classroom-tested exercises--designed to implement the skills and techniques described in the first section--emphasize accuracy, precision, and effective communication of results. Relevant forms for recordingand presenting research data are provided at the end of each exercise. A suite of field ecology exercises make the workbook useful at field school sites. Seasoned researchers as well as those new to the discipline of primatologyresearch will benefit from this thorough, well-organized workbook. The companion CD-ROM includes relevant forms for recording and presenting research data as well as training video samples. ... Read more

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an old student of dr.paterson's
i used this book in dr.paterson's class all those years ago and it was very helpful with our primate studies at the calgary zoo- ... Read more

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An introduction to the study of palaeontology, covering theories of evolutionary change, dating of fossils and the phylogeny and classification of the primates of the epoch. The chapters are sequentially arranged to allow students to build up a picture of the paleo-climatic changes. ... Read more

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A volume in the Handbook of Experimental Animals series, The Laboratory Primate details the past and present use of primates in biomedical research, and the husbandry, nutritional requirements, behaviour, and breeding of each of the commonly used species. Practical information on regulatory requirements, not available in other texts, is covered. Sections on experimental models cover the major areas of biomedical research, including AIDS, cancer, neurobiology and gene therapy. Assisted reproductive technology,tissue typing, and minimum group sizes for infectious disease/vaccine studies are also included.

* Two-color, user-friendly format, with copious illustrations and color plates
* Includes detailed, well-illustrated sections on gross & microscopic anatomy, common diseases, and special procedures, including surgical techniques ... Read more

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Exploring the origins of human sexuality, the author researches primates--prosimians, monkeys, and apes--and explains the battle of the sexes in terms of a war of different mating strategies. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Stating the obvious
On the one hand, this is a good and interesting book exposing the fallacies of androcentric sociobiology. On the other hand, it occasionally looks rather silly, since it's simply stating the obvious. Did you know that women enjoy sex? Did you know that women want to be just as sexually active as men, and that men therefore attempt to control their sexuality? Of course you did. But Meredith Small states this as if it was some kind of stunning revelation. And her book was published in 1992!

The reason for this sad state of affairs is, of course, that Small is a sociobiologist herself. She is something as oxymoronic as a feminist sociobiologist. Her book sounds like a strange cross of extreme Neo-Darwinism and NOW. Her book is presumably directed at the sociobiological community, pointing out that their paradigm is...well, wrong. Although the author still sees herself as a sociobiologist, her book is another nail in the coffin of sociobiology.

Small compares humans with other primates (read apes, monkeys and prosimians). According to sociobiology, males should be promiscuous, while females should be coy and choosy. Are they? No, not exactly. It turns out that males and females of most primate species are equally promiscuous. Indeed, female primates often take the initiative in mating. In some species, males rather than females are a "limiting resource", again disconfirming sociobiology. Sociobiology further predicts hypergamy: females should choose male partners of a higher rank than themselves. This too turns out to be more complicated in real life. Alpha males do "have their way" with the females, but the females turn out to have affairs with lower-ranking males in secret. It seems nonhuman primates make a sport out of confounding sociobiological expectations!

It also turns out (surprise) that female primates seem to enjoy sex, that some primate species are matriarchal, and that at least one species of nonhuman primate, the bonobo, is bisexual and has sex for non-reproductive purposes! Less than straight relations have also been reported among other nonhuman primates.

As a good Neo-Darwinist, Small also discusses various evolutionary reasons for female primate promiscuity. It could be a defense strategy against male infanticide. Or it could be a way of avoiding inbreeding. Both alternatives sound probable. The main weakness of the book is that it attempts to explain humans in mostly biological terms, instead of emphasizing patriarchy as a *social* construction. Indeed, it's unclear what position Small takes on the sociobiological idea that patriarchy is universal among humans. Here, sociobiology seems to constrain the author.

That being said, I nevertheless found "Female Choices" both interesting and revealing. In some socially constructed circles, stating the obvious is still necessary.

A challenge to whatfemales 'should' be doing
This is an essential read in the study of female sexuality. It may not have the right answers but it is nevertheless one of very few counter arguments to the view of male promiscuity and female choosiness.

Small discusses the evolution of sexual reproduction and how this led to the logical conclusion that females 'should' be very choosy about the quality of the male or males they mate with. The author has herself studied macaques where females show virtually no evidence of being choosy. Other primates and other species show varying levels of choosiness by the females and varying levels of male coercion of females. An important point is also made about the difference between mate preference and mate choice - ie the actual male(s) mated with may not be the females preferred male(s).

The only factor the author sees as being fairly constant is the attractiveness of novelty. Though this has been accepted as a reason for the males renewed sexual interest in novel females, often explained as the Coolidge Effect, this also is shown to be the case for females and we should therefore also acknowledge the 'Ms' Coolidge Effect.

Though females are less choosy than they 'should' be they also do clearly reject certain males. Perhaps the focus should change to why females reject certain males rather than why they choose particular males. And males do sometimes reject certain females. In primates with a breeding season where females are in estrus at the same time sperm, rather than eggs, can become the limiting resource.

Small also discusses the social functions of female mating such as avoiding harm or harm to offspring. The female motivation for sex in humans and in some primates is disconnected from the hormones of reproduction and so mating has clear non-sexual/reproductive functions. When the female is ovulating then becoming pregnant 'should' be the main concern and we would expect females to be mating as much as possible at this time without necessarily being particularly choosy.

The final chapter is about human female sexuality and there is some discussion of marriage and how much or little choice women may have. The dependency of the human infant has clearly shaped human mating. Both sexes, Small says, experience conflict at the two levels of reproductive success - at the level of seeking novel mates and at the level of needing to pair-bond for the benefit of their joint offspring.

In human society males have been able to control female sexuaity far more than females can control male sexuality. Studies of human female mate choice, which Small discusses, are hindered by the imposed 'double standard' and the fact that females do not have a voice in many cultures.

Small's bringing to our attention of evidence that challenges our evolutionary ideas about how females 'should' behave sexually ought to lead to an expansion in our understanding of evolution along with our discoveries of the fascinating complexities of female behavior.

An essential read.

Good lord . . .
This book is interesting and Small has a number of good ideas on the topic. She has a good writing style which, though at times becomes a little too unprofessional for a scholar, is nevertheless easily readable and understandable. I have no quarrel with her message, granted I don't know enough about the topic to form a logical rebuttal. She puts forth her arguments clearly, and that I have no problems with.

But the grammatical and spelling mistakes that ABOUND through her book are inexcusable and the reason I give it three stars.

Her mistakes are those you'd expect to see in a paper by a high school student. She uses "it's" rather than "its" (page 120), uses an apostrophe for pluralization (page 130), forgets commas (pages 155 and 156), forgets an apostrophe (page 201) and has subject-verb disagreements in number (pages 2 and 156).

Aside from that, she commits spelling atrocities that would have been caught with any spell-check or careful reading: "matruing" (page 60), "menarchy" (page 65), "mht" (presumably for "might," page 124), "twenth-three" (page 141), "squeeking" (page 155) and "renown" (instead of "renowned", page 192).

As a student at her University (Cornell), it was mortifying to read it, knowing that not only did she not bother to do a simple spell-check, but that Cornell didn't either when they published it. Frankly, I expect more from an Ivy League university and the faculty whom it has chosen to employ. Even more ironic is that Cornell prides itself (and was nationally recognized last fall) for its emphasis on writing. I shudder to think how many red marks would be on a Meredith Small paper were she to turn one into a freshman writing seminar.

An Interesting Story
This is an interesting look at mating habits among non-human primates.Most of the theories and bald statements Small makes sound rather unfounded and I would like the opportunity to talk with her about them since she maymean something entirely different than my interpretation of what she'ssaying.In any event, she doesn't arrive at a theory that makes any sense(to me) until about page 178 which is pretty much at the end of the book. I enjoyed reading the book nonetheless. ... Read more

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The size and composition of primate groups varies tremendously across species, within species, and within groups over time. Written by leading authorities, this book focuses on the causes and consequences of variation in the number of males per group. This variation lies at the heart of understanding adaptive variation among primate social systems. The volume also provides an extensive overview of variation in group composition across all major primate taxa using up-to-date reviews, case studies, evolutionary theory, and theoretical models. A comparative review of birds and selected other mammals is included. This text will become a favorite with all those interested in the behavioral ecology of primates. ... Read more

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In more ways than we may sometimes care to acknowledge, the human being is just another primate--it is certainly only very rarely that researchers into cognition, emotion, personality, and behavior in our species and in other primates come together to compare notes and share insights. This book, one of the few comprehensive attempts at integrating behavioral research into human and nonhuman primates, does precisely that--and in doing so, offers a clear, in-depth look at the mutually enlightening work being done in psychology and primatology.

Relying on theories of behavior derived from psychology rather than ecology or biological anthropology, the authors, internationally known experts in primatology and psychology, focus primarily on social processes in areas including aggression, conflict resolution, sexuality, attachment, parenting, social development and affiliation, cognitive development, social cognition, personality, emotions, vocal and nonvocal communication, cognitive neuroscience, and psychopathology. They show nonhuman primates to be far more complex, cognitively and emotionally, than was once supposed, with provocative implications for our understanding of supposedly unique human characteristics. Arguing that both human and nonhuman primates are distinctive for their wide range of context-sensitive behaviors, their work makes a powerful case for the future integration of human and primate behavioral research.

Customer Reviews (1)

Wonderful historically important compilation of studies
I just saw this classic sitting on one of my book shelves. This was published in 1965 and represented close to the state of the art in studies of primate behavior. I bought this when I was an undergraduate student at Bradley University and took it with me to graduate school, where I found considerable use for it.

Studies of primate behavior were still relatively new, in terms of sound methodology, when this book came out. It contains some of the early classic studies, such as Jane Goodall's work with the Gombe Stream chimpanzees, Irven DeVore's and K. R. L. Hall's exquisite work on baboons, Phyllis Jay's study of langurs of North India, George Schaller's important work on the Mountain Gorilla, and so on. As the Preface puts it (page vii-viii), "In less than a decade field studies of nonhuman primates have multiplied at an almost unbelievable rate, and today there are well over 50 individuals from at least 9 countries engaged in such studies."

The introductory chapter, written by Sherwood Washburn and David Hamburg, lays out an overview of primate behavior as a subject of study. It includes a discussion of the classification of primates--from old world monkeys to the new world monkeys to the apes as well as the prosimians (primitive primates). Part I of the book features a series of works on monkeys and prosimians; Part II focuses on studies of the apes; Part III compares behavior patterns across primate species (e.g., reproduction in monkeys and apes, social development in monkeys and apes, primate signaling and communication, and implications of primate research.

This book is dated; much research has been carried out since.Nonetheless, I enjoyed reminding myself of some of the very real contributions of this volume. For its place in the history of primate studies, this is still well worth looking at.
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As part of the SFI series, this book presents the most up-to-date research in the study of human and primate societies, including recent advances in software and algorithms for modeling societies, and it is ideal for professionals in archaeology, cultural anthropology, primatology, or computer science. ... Read more

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This will be the first time a volume will be compiled focusing on South American monkeys as models to address and test critical issues in the study of nonhuman primates. In addition, the volume will serve an important compliment to the book on Mesoamerican primates recently published in the series under the DIPR book series. The book will be of interest to a broad range of scientists in various disciplines, ranging from primatology, to animal behavior, animal ecology, conservation biology, veterinary science, animal husbandry, anthropology, and natural resource management. Moreover, although the volume will highlight South American primates, chapters will not simply review particular taxa or topics. Rather the focus of each chapter is to examine the nature and range of primate responses to changes in their ecological and social environments, and to use data on South American monkeys to address critical theoretical questions in the study of primate behavior, ecology, and conservation. Thus, we anticipate that the volume will be widely read by a broad range of students and researchers interested in prosimians, New World monkeys, Old World monkeys, apes, humans, as well as animal behavior and tropical biology.

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This state-of-the-art book on how form is described in primate biology, and its consequences for function and behavior, includes contributions by internationally renowned researchers of quantitative primate evolutionary morphology. Each chapter elaborates upon the analysis of the form-function-behavior triad. The book is unique, therefore, not only in the diversity of the topics discussed, but in the range of levels of biological organization addressed--from cellular morphometrics to the evolution of primate ecology. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An important refernce work
This is an edited collection of state of the art papers on the description of biological form in primates and the implications of this form on function and behavior. The analysis of the form-function-behavior triad is presented in each chapter as an interesting and most importantly, understandable narrative. Most other works of this nature are highly specialized, applicable to only a few scientists capable of understanding what is essentially a very complex subject. This book is unique in that it covers a diversity of topics on a wide range of levels, from cellular morphometrics to the evolution of primate functional morphology. Even though the reader may have a primary interest in only one or two chapters, it follows that the other chapters will be read, thereby expanding the views of the reader.

The book is essentially a "Festschrift" to Charles E. Oxnard, who is a pioneer on metric and analytic techniques which have been combined with his meticulous comparative functional analysis of primate anatomy. Each contributor in this book, "Shaping Primate Evolution", has in some way been influenced by Professor Oxnard's work and this is expressed by the remarkable diversity of topics. The editors, Fred Anapol, Rebecca Z. German, and Nina G. Jabolinski, themsenves highly regarded scholars, have done an excellent job in bringing together the work of a number of internationally recognized scientists in a single volume. A dedication, in the form of this work, is appropriate in light of the remarkable achievements of Professor Oxnard over roughly fifty years. In much of what is written, he has managed to express algebraic complexity in words, which for "mere mortals" is a relief and makes what is ordinarily meant for a selsct few, an enjoyable reading experience for most. In particular, three works by Oxnard worth getting (these have become quite scarce), are; "Form and pattern in human evolution - some mathematical, physical and engineering approaches" (1973), "Uniqueness and diversity in human evolution - morphometric studies of Australopithecines" (1975) and "The Order of Man" (1983).

For those interested in primate form, function and evolution, this reference work is a must! ... Read more

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Primate Biogeography is a subject rarely addressed as a discipline in its own right. This comprehensive source introduces the reader to Primate Biogeography as a discipline. It highlights the many factors that may influence the distribution of primates, and reveals the wide range of approaches that are available to understanding the distribution of this order. The biogeography of primates in the past is a major component of our understanding of their evolutionary history and is an essential component of conservation biology. This book will appeal to primatologists, physical anthropologists, zoologists, and undergraduates in these areas.

Customer Reviews (1)

Wonderful book in its day
I used the first edition of this volume once upon a time (many years ago) as one of my textbooks in a course on primate behavior that I taught (a political scientist teaching primate behavior?). It was enjoyable to students, served its purpose well in presentation a lot of information to the class in a readable style. The second edition was a very well done update.

One nice touch: the volume begins with an extended quotation on apes from Hildegard of Bingen (about 1150). From there. The organization of the volume is pretty standard, with chapter after chapter considering key issues of primate behavior. Part One is labeled "Ecology." Here, we are introduced to the variety of primate species, to ecological considerations (including reproduction strategies), food and feeding, predation (and disease and death), ranging, and group size and structure, in groups versus out groups, and relations with other species). This part of the book is a building block on which subsequent chapters develop.

Part Two focuses on primate societies. Subjects covered include: genes and society, communication, demography, competition, sex, mothers and infants, and how the young "grow up" within their primate society. All chapters reflected state of the art research at the time of publication (one reason I liked Jolly's work so much).

Finally, primate intelligence. Here, Jolly considers "primate psychology," tool use, cognition, play, "language," and social learning.

By the time one finished reading this volume, one had a pretty good sense of what we knew about primate behavior at the time. And, indeed, the book does not hold up too badly, given that this edition is now over twenty years old.
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This contributed text introduces students to primates through 34 essays written expressly for this volume by experts in their research areas. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great deal
I think this book is quite valuable. I like the insert pictures in it. It shows me a totally new world about nonhuman primate.
Thank you.

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 notrecommend it for someone who is looking for lite reading ... Read more

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Handbook of Primate Husbandry and Welfare covers all aspects of primate care and management both in the laboratory environment and in zoos. From the welfare and ethics of primate captivity through to housing and husbandry systems, environmental enrichment, nutritional requirements, breeding issues, primate diseases, and additional information on transportation and quarantine proceedings, this book provides a completely comprehensive guide to good husbandry and management of primates. Designed to be a practical field manual, the authors present the material using lists, tables and illustrations to clarify best practice.

• Representative species are covered – from marmosets through to macaques
• One of the first books dedicated to the care of primates in captivity
• Written by authors with many years of experience working with primates
• Suitable for those working with primates in either laboratories or zoos

Customer Reviews (1)

Great service
Thanks for getting my book to me so fast and for describing its condition well. It was everything you said it was. ... Read more

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Examines the different types of primates, their habitats, behavior, family life, and locomotion. ... Read more

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This volume details the different ways that nocturnal primates avoid predators. It is a first of its kind within primatology, and is therefore the only work giving a broad overview of predation – nocturnal primate predation theory in particular – in the field

Additionally, the book incorporates several chapters on the theoretical advances that researchers studying nocturnal primates need to make.

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Language is just one particularly highly developed form of primate communication. Recent years have seen increased attention to other forms: studies of animals in the wild, efforts to teach sign language to apes. This volume reflects perspectives from a variety of disciplines on the nature and function of primate signalling systems. Monkeys and apes, like people, live in a world in which they are constantly receiving and transmitting information. How can we interpret the ways in which they process it without imposing our own language-based categorizations? The problem is partly scientific, partly conceptual: that is, partly concerned with what language is. The authors' findings and insights will be of interest to a broad group of primatologists, linguists, psychologists, anthropologists and philosophers. ... Read more