Introduction to the Primates

by Daris R. Swindler, Linda E. Curtis

Overview

Introduction to the Primates is a comprehensive but compact guide to the long evolutionary history of the world’s prosimians, monkeys, and apes, and to the much shorter history of humankind’s interactions with them, from our earliest recorded observations to the severe threats we now pose to their survival.

Daris Swindler provides a detailed description of the major primate groups and their environments, from the smallest lemurs of Madagascar to the gorillas of central Africa. He compares and contrasts the primate species, looking at each with a specific anatomical focus. The range of diversity emerges as the particular characteristics of the species becomes increasingly distinct. Swindler also considers primate behavior and its close connections with environment and evolutionary differences. His account of 65 million years of successful adaptation and evolution demonstrates the drama of paleontology as evidence accrues and gaps in the history of primate evolution gradually close.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780295977041
Publisher:	University of Washington Press
Publication date:	04/01/1998
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	652,556
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.68(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

Table of Contents

Foreword

Preface

Acknowlegments

1) Monkeys and Apes in History

2) Classification and Distribution in Living Primates

3) Blood Groups, Chromosomes, and DNA

4) The Skull

5) Teeth, Diet, and Digestion

6) The Brain and Special Senses

7) The Skeleton and Locomotion

8) Growth and Development

9) Social Groups and Primate Behavior

10) Fossil Primates

11) Primate Conservation

Glossary

Bibliography

Index

What People are Saying About This

Nina Jablonski

A succinct and highly readable exposition of the past and present members of the zoological Order Primates. The book invites the reader to appreciate the diversity of primates and the similarities between human and nonhuman primates that are a result of our shared evolutionary heritage.

Editorial Reviews

Although intended as a compact introduction to primate biology, this richly comprehensive volume goes considerably beyond that. It's no surprise that seven of the 11 chapters cover primate anatomy, growth, and development. Swindler (anthropology, Univ. of Washington) is the author-editor of several scientific texts on primate anatomy, including An Atlas of Primate Gross Anatomy (1973). While covering the basics of "what is a primate?" Swindler also provides information useful for those well versed in primates, such as tables of blood groups and vital life statistics for a range of species as well as a detailed analysis of the primate brain. He ends with chapters on social behavior, evolution, and conservation. Recommended for academic and larger public library science collections.--Raymond Hamel, Wisconsin Regional Primate Research Ctr. Lib., Madison

Library Journal

A comprehensive yet compact guide to the long evolutionary history of the world's prosimians, monkeys, and apes, and the much shorter history of humankind's interactions with them, from our earliest recorded observations to the threats we now pose to their survival. Describes the major primate groups and their environments, compares the species anatomically, and considers primate behavior and its close connection with environment and evolutionary differences. Includes b&w photos and drawings. For students of primatology. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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