Product Description
Many recent developments in the field in recording, staining, genetic and stimulation techniques, in vivo, and in vitro have significantly increased the amount of available data on the primate visual system.

Written with contributions from key neurobiologists in the field, The Primate Visual System will provide the reader with the latest developments, examining the structure, function and evolution of the primate visual system. The book takes a comparative approach as a basis for studying the physiological properties of primate vision and examines the phylogenetic relationship between the visual systems of different primate species. Taken from a neurobiologist’s perspective this book provides a unique approach to the study of primate vision as a basis for further study into the human visual system.

Altogether an important overview of the structure, function and evolution of the primate visual system from a neurobiologist’s perspective, written specifically for higher level undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in neuroscience, physiology, optics/ visual science, as well as a valuable read to researchers new to the field. ... Read more

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In The Intelligent Movement Machine: An Ethological Perspective on the Primate Motor System, Michael Graziano offers a fundamentally new theory of motor cortex organization: the rendering of the movement repertoire onto the cortex. The action repertoire of an animal is highly dimensional, whereas the cortical sheet is two-dimensional. Rendering the action space onto the cortex therefore results in a complex pattern, explaining the otherwise inexplicable details of the motor cortex organization. This clearly written book book includes a complete history of motor cortex research from its discovery to the present, a discussion of the major issues in motor cortex research, and an account of recent experiments that led to Graziano's "action map" view. Though focused on the motor cortex, the book includes a range of topics from an explanation of how primates put food in their mouths, to the origins of social beahvior such as smiling and laughing, to the mysterious link between movement disorders and autism. This book is written for a general audience, and should be of interest to experts, students, and the scientific lay. ... Read more

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Primate and Human Evolution provides a synthesis of the evolution and adaptive significance of human anatomical, physiological and behavioral traits. Using paleontology and modern human variation and biology, it compares hominid traits to those of other catarrhine primates both living and extinct, presenting a new hominization model that does not depend solely on global climate change, but on predictable trends observed in catarrhines. Dealing with the origins of hominid tool use and tool manufacture, it compares tool behavior in other animals and incorporates information from the earliest archaeological record. Examining the use of non-human primates and other mammals in modeling the origins of early human social behavior, Susan Cachel argues that human intelligence does not arise from complex social interactions, but from attentiveness to the natural world.This book will be a rich source of inspiration for all those interested in the evolution of all primates, including ourselves. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

everything you wanted to know about primate evolution
Dr. Cachel's book is a treasure for anyone who really wants to understand the subject in depth. With a huge reference section, she places most of the current literature in context and summarizes results of most of the references, adding her own perspective. The book's strength, however, is also its weakness. In covering so much material, she has little room for the extra verbiage someone not familiar with the subject needs to fully understand it. I read it with an unabridged dictionary nearby, andI got the in-depth review I wanted. Many readers less interested in the subject may have trouble getting through it. She provides solid information and interesting perspectives, and a dedicated reader will not be left wanting.

Surprising and Interesting New Views
Although not intended to be an introductory book in physical anthropology, the material covered includes most of the topics addressed in such texts. The prime focus of the book however is to present some new ideas in the fundamental relationship between humans and other Old World higher primates.

The new ideas are based on both new interpretations of historical findings and newer findings based on the behavioral distinctiveness of humans and other primates. A particular point of Dr. Cachel is that the behavior of living non-human primates yields no special insight into the origins of human intelligence, tool behavior, or sociality. Her conclusions are based on archeological records which show an attentiveness to the natural world being a major trigger for hominization, rather than the climatic change usually considered the driving force.

While these ideas may conflict with the generally accepted views, her analysis of the existing evidence is exhaustive and very well presented. ... Read more

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Numerous figures, illustrations, and tables; integration of new literature and concepts into field of primatology; emphasis upon both behavioral and cognitive mechanisms.

Customer Reviews (2)

Meta-authorship and the stochasticity of scholarship
As the author of Behavioral Flexibility in Primates: Causes and Consequences (BFP), I have decided to comment on my own book.I have been a scholar of social evolution in heterogeneous regimes since the early 1970s.Major early influences concerning the effects of environmental heterogeneity upon animals (including humans) were Bradbury, Emlen, Dilger, Loftus-Hills, Stearns, and, later, Lewontin.The book under consideration resulted primarily from reading, writing, and thinking initiated during my postdoctoral year in Lewontin's laboratory (1981-1982).Lewontin was the first biologist I had encountered who described events in the world as a physicist would.His conceptual skills reinforced my own primitively developed facility for spatial problem-solving.The conceptual frameworks informing BFP derive primarily from theoretical treatments--some elegant, some less so.What these treatments (e.g., Maynard Smith & Price, 1973; Parker, 1974; Lewontin, 1974; West-Eberhard, 1979) have in common is an appreciation for phenotypes encountering environmental challenges--"hard" challenges and "soft" ones.BFP is not a perfect book.There is at least one statement in it (pg. 104, paragraph 2, sentence 3) that is potentially so confusing that one would have needed to be within my brain at the moment of writing to see it clearly.Many other statements should be supported by mathematical models.Nonetheless, if you are interested in the evolution of behavior from the perspective of mainstream evolutionary biology and behavioral ecology, this book will not fail, at minimum, to provide many stimulating ideas that you can employ for your own benefit.Some of the statements are controvertial; however, all derive from basic research.You will, I think, complete this slim volume with a better understanding of "why there are so many kinds of behaviors" and of the importance of "phenogroups", not only for population and community processes but, also, for potential population differentiation.Also stressed, is the relationship between flexibility and sociality, within and/or between individuals.A simple mathematical treatment of dispersal is attempted based upon the work of Stu West.BFP was fun for me to write and will be, I hope, fun for you to read.Enjoy.

Not a starter book for primatologists
I'm not sure what to make of this book.It is difficult to read and packed with jargon that is currently fashionable.After finishing this book I had real trouble figuring out if I was more or less illuminated about primate research.Throughout the book, Jones takes a lot of her own research on howling monkeys and tries to anchor it deep into the latest theoretical studies published in Am. Nat., TREE, Evolution, TPB, etc. There are a lot of references to some theoretically sophisticated studies, but Jones fails to flesh-out these references in the text in order to explain her arguments.As a result, there is the poor articulation between the primate examples and the complex theoretical studies that she cites.For example, Jones cites Moran's 1992 article on the "Evolutionary maintenance of alternative phenotypes" stating that "The work of Moran...strongly suggests that, in heterogenous regimes, selection on sensory, perceptual, memory, learning, and other cognitive mechanisms may have been strong since the potential (fitness) benefits yielded appear to be high."My reading of Moran is quite different since Moran was talking about simple models concerning two phenotypes in two different environments in which the switch to the "appropriate" phenotype is irreversible; if anything, Moran's results show that generalism is more appropriate for primates than polyphenism.

Such misreadings of the primary literature are occasionally found throughout the book and thus some of the references in the text seem out of place.This left me with the feeling that Jones doesn't really understand the content of the theoretical studies she cites in her book.Often, the reader is left to divine the main point Jones is trying to make between some small aspect of howling monkey behavior/ecology and some broader (and in my mind, mostly oblique) theoretical topic.From her study of branch break displays in male howling monkeys, we learn that the displays represent "an extreme case of a signal of endurance (Payne and Pagel, 1996a), in which the signal is a cumulative sum of the elements, accounting for any variation in intensity.The findings are also consistent with the "best-so-far" model (Payne and Pagel, 1996b), in which the signal is the intensity of the most recent element only."And on it goes.Apparently, the main point here is that there is some variation in branch break displays among males based on reproductive competition, but Jones buries this point in a mish-mash of jargon and circumlocution.It really doesn't need to be this complicated, really.

Jones should pick a better model system (i.e., one that can be manipulated) if she wants to study behavioral flexibility in the theoretically rigorous context that has seemingly wooed her.To be fair, this book is not bad, just convoluted. ... Read more

Product Description
The study of primates in their natural environment is a relatively recent phenomenon. It is only since the 1970s that books, films, and scientific papers have presented a wealth of fascinating insights into the biology and lifestyle of these mountain- and forest-dwelling relatives of human beings. This recently acquired knowledge has provided the inspiration for Primates of the World. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Wonderful Book!!
Lots of information and the largest collection of pictures of primates I've ever seen in one source. Has Prosimians, New World Monkey and Old World Monkeys. This book discusses the differences and similarities of all the groups and uses illustrations to show anatomicaldifferences. Great book in a great series. I bought this for a primate class in school and it was the best book I've ever bought! ... Read more

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While it is commonly accepted that structures in the medial temporal lobe play a critical role in memory, current theories disagree on three fundamental issues: (a) the extent to which different regions within the medial temporal lobe can be functionally dissociated; (b) whether structures within the medial temporal lobe are specialised for memory processing or play an additional role in perception; and (c) whether there is support for functional homology across species. To address these controversial questions, this Special Issue brings together researchers working on memory and perception in the medial temporal lobe and asks whether there is evidence for similar functional dissociations across species. The papers reported here include lesion and early gene imaging in rats, electrophysiological and lesion studies in nonhuman primates, lesion and functional neuroimaging in human participants, as well as touching on computational modelling approaches. Pulling together these methodological diverse contributions, a final chapter highlights the main consistencies and discrepancies with respect the three issues under debate, as well as providing future directions for research in this area. The Special Issue highlights how a cross-disciplinary approach to neuroscientific research can yield powerful converging evidence and help resolve controversies that may seen to exist across methodologies and/or species.

Product Description
Anthropologists have traditionally ignored the New Worldprimates because they are not in the mainstream of evolution leadingto the human species. Yet, because they exhibit parallel adaptationsto those of apes and Old World monkeys – tool use, a wider varietyof mating systems, and parallels to human language - they provide uswith a unique source of information. This book, whose contributors areleading experts on various aspects of New World monkeys, explores thetremendous diversity to be found among neotropical primate speciesthat have adapted to the highly varied Central and South Americanecosystems. These studies provide striking similarities to, as well asintriguing differences from, the heretofore better known adaptationsin the Old World. In the process, they shed new light upon theevolutionary process as it is played out among our primate relationson 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

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Successful reproduction is not always a cooperative affair, but rather a competition between males, with females having the final "say."Throughout there is conflict regarding when, with whom and how often mating should occur. This volume provides the first comprehensive summary of the various forms of sexual communication and behavior and the consequences of the interaction between the sexes. ... Read more

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The Behavior Guide to African Mammals is as different from a conventional field guide as motion pictures are from a snapshot. Whether we are able to look at them face to face, on television, or in the hundreds of illustrations provided here by Daniel Otte, this guide allows us to understand what animals do and what their behavior means.
Drawing on his own extensive fieldwork and on the research of many other scientists, Richard Estes describes and explains the behavior of four major groups of mammals. Estes's remarkably informative guide is as up-to-date for the zoologist as it is accessible for the interested onlooker. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Beyond the touristy safari
Taking pictures of the Big 5 is great fun on a safari. However, too many safari-goers simply take pictures without understanding the animals they're observing. A lot of guidebooks give you information on how to identify a species, but don't really tell you much about the animals themselves (and unfortunately most guides and drivers aren't much help either). Richard Estes' The Behavior Guide to African Mammals: Including Hoofed Mammals, Carnivores, Primates is a great remedy to this. Estes treats the major African mammals with the detail of a graduate biology textbook, explaining their evolutionary history, diet, and behavior. Each chapter follows a set, easy-to-follow pattern with key information. They also include a pictorial guide to each animal's behaviors (with images of how, for example, hyenas behave when they're submissive).

While other guidebooks might cover the information on elephants and giraffes, Estes' passion is antelopes and it shows in this book. Many other guidebooks and safari guides consider antelopes the "junk" game animals, but Estes shows that they are a fascinating and successful group of animals. I learned to appreciate Thompsons Gazelles and Oryx a whole lot more after reading this book. In fact, the section on antelopes alone is worth the price of the book.

Estes' book is heavy - as befitting a book so packed with information - so you should probably take a smaller, more traditional wildlife checklist on your safari (I recommend Wildlife of East Africa (Princeton Illustrated Checklists)), which I used in Uganda and Kenya). However, Estes' book is necessary if you want to go beyond simply a photography expedition and actually learn about African mammals.

Note: the updated edition The Safari Companion: A Guide to Watching African Mammals Including Hoofed Mammals, Carnivores, and Primates is actually pretty thoroughly revised and is worth getting, even if you own this older edition.

Handy but Holistic Behaviour Guide
This Behaviour Guide provides extensive interesting information without becoming too technical.It is easy to read and set out in a logical way.A really handy handbook that enhances the viewing of animal behaviour.

Really Good Book
This was a really good book for anyone interested in the behavior of mammals. There are a lot of illistrations and good information for all mammals including primates, gazelle and antelope, and carnivores. I definately recommend this book

Text book
The book is in excellent condition, as described by the seller.It arrived more slowly than I expected, but it probably was delayed in part by the holiday mail traffic.

Great In the Field or in the Armchair
If you enjoy learning specific information about mammals, this book is for you. It is a bit technical which makes it more interesting. I used this book when on Safari and it added tremendously to my enjoyment. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Fun Photos
The author did a great job of photographing primates in casual situations.I really enjoyed looking thru it.It IS mostly photos, black and white, but that does not detract from the interesting situations. ... Read more

Product Description
This book presents a series of review chapters on the various aspects of primate kinship and behavior, as a fundamental reference for students and professionals interested in primate behavior, ecology and evolution.The relatively new molecular data allow one to assess directly degrees of genetic relatedness and kinship relations between individuals, and a considerable body of data on intergroup variation, based on experimental studies in both free-ranging and captive groups has accumulated, allowing a rather full and satisfying reconsideration of this whole broad area of research. The book should be of considerable interest to students of social evolution and behavioral ecology. ... Read more

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This book compares the beginning of symbolic thought in human infancy with that of our close primate relatives, the chimpanzees. The author investigates the precursors of symbolism by studying the actions and interactions of a small group of these intelligent, non-human primates who live in Singapore Zoo.

Drawing upon his years of detailed observations, Matthews offers an in-depth analysis and interpretation of chimp behaviour to present an unprecedented account of the beginnings of symbolic thought. The book shows that the actions the chimpanzees perform have structural and semantic similarities with the actions of emergent expression and representation we find in human infancy. Of great importance is the finding that chimpanzee mark-making activity is not an artefact of human interference, but part of chimpanzee culture. Young chimpanzees seem to be introduced to acts of pretence and imagination by older and more experienced ones and taught the rudiments of expression, representation and symbolism.

The implications for our understanding of symbolism, language, art and education are enormous, as are those about our origins and our place within nature. The book is written in an accessible style for both specialist and non-specialist readers, and illustrated with the author’s drawings and photographs.

Product Description
In Primate Perspectives on Behavior and Cognition, experts with a diverse range of perspectives explore the contributions made to the study of primate cognition and behavior and provide guideposts for new generations of researchers studying behavior as manifested across primate species. The contributors first explore commonly used research methodology and then look at the groundbreaking content of recent research. Throughout this volume, contributors provide rich data and discussion of cutting-edge studies. In addition to serving as a comprehensive and integrative review of a wide range of research areas, the chapters in this volume establish a research agenda for years (and careers) to come. This book will be a vital resource for researchers in comparative psychology and cognitive psychology as well as for behaviorists, neuropsychologists, biopsychologists, and developmental psychologists. ... Read more

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This is a groundbreaking work in the field of ethology—the zoological study of animal behavior—which was rapidly gaining ground in the 1960s when this collection was first published. These specially commissioned papers bought together studies of monkeys and apes from both the laboratory and the field. All of the contributors had been trained in the Lorenz/Tinbergen school, and include Jane Goodall, R. Hinde and Y. Spencer-Booth, M. Moynihan, T. E. Rowell, Caroline Loizos, John Sparks, Wolfgang Wickler, and J. van Hooff. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Early classic collection of essays on primate behavior
Desmond Morris became famous with his "The Naked Ape." However, despite the mass popularity of that work, Morris was also a fine student of animal behavior. This edited volume, published in 1969, is an early classic in the study of primate behavior/ethology.

The various essays lay out the "state of the art" as of the late 1960s. Morris begins the book with an essay on the subject, to set the stage for the set of essays in this volume. J. A. R. A. M. van Hooff has a chapter on facial displays of apes and catarrhine monkeys; Wolfgang Wickler authored a chapter on socio-sexual signals among primates; John Sparks contributed a piece on grooming behavior in primates; Christine Loizos wrote a fine essay on play behavior in primates.

Other chapters: Thelma Rowell on social organization in primates; Hinde and Spencer-Booth on social companions' effects on mother-infant relations in rhesus monkeys; Jane Goodall on mother-offspring relations in Chimpanzees.

For its time, this was a nice volume, assessing the current status of primate behavior. I enjoyed revisiting this work, which I read so many years ago.
... Read more

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The goals of this volume are twofold. First, it aims to provide a novel focus on adaptive explanations for cranial and postcranial features and functional complexes, socioecological systems, life history patterns, etc. in early primates. Second, it aims to offer a detailed rendering of the phylogenetic affinities of such basal taxa to later primate clades as well as to other early/recent mammalian orders. Thus, in addition to the strictly paleontological or systemic questions regarding Primate Origins, the editors plan to concentrate on the adaptive significance of primate characteristics. These questions are best approached through both paleontological and neontological comparative research on a variety of primate and non-primate materials. The volume is timely because it capitalizes on an increasing and important degree of novel independent museum, field and laboratory based research on many of the important outstanding issues regarding primate origins. Furthermore, by intergrating such a disparate sources of experimental, comparative, paleontological, ecological and molecular information into a single edited volume, it provides the broadest possible perspective on early primate phylogeny and the adaptive uniqueness of the Order Primates.

Product Description
Communication is both a prerequisite and manifestation of social organization and in this sense several chapters of this volume are aimed to investigate the way vocal communication serves its ultimate function of maintaining social organization. Although manifold parallels exist to vocal communication in birds, additional mechanisms of vocalization are found in primates. Treating the various psychological, ecological, behavioral, and neurobiological aspects of vocalization this book provides an interdisciplinary approach for the understanding of biocommunication in primates including humans. Conceptual as well as methodological considerations are given in a balanced way. The addition of a comprehensive glossary gives an overview also to nonspecialists in this field. ... Read more

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The field of occupational health and safety constantly changes, especially as it pertains to biomedical research. New infectious hazards are of particular importance at nonhuman-primate facilities. For example, the discovery that B virus can be transmitted via a splash on a mucous membrane raises new concerns that must be addressed, as does the discovery of the Reston strain of Ebola virus in import quarantine facilities in the U.S. The risk of such infectious hazards is best managed through a flexible and comprehensive Occupational Health and Safety Program (OHSP) that can identify and mitigate potential hazards. "Occupational Health and Safety in the Care and Use of Nonhuman Primates" is intended as a reference for vivarium managers, veterinarians, researchers, safety professionals, and others who are involved in developing or implementing an OHSP that deals with nonhuman primates. The book lists the important features of an OHSP and provides the tools necessary for informed decision-making in developing an optimal program that meets all particular institutional needs. ... Read more

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"A superb introduction to the most fascinating group of animals onearth." -- Desmond Morris "The British primatologists John and PrueNapier have, during two decades, prepared both popular books andstringently technical volumes within their irresistible and activediscipline. Now they have compiled another handsomely illustrated briefsurvey. Half of the book is a compact, full profile of these our kin,primates figured and described genus by genus the world around. The restpresents a clear and current account of the classification, origin,structure and behavior of the most distinctive order of mammals. Thelast chapter reviews the current understanding of human evolution, thejigsaw puzzle of our own origin that we crave to assemble out of sofragmentary a set of fossil pieces." -- Philip Morrison, ScientificAmerican

As our closest living relatives, monkeys and apes hold a special appeal.This natural history, written in a clear and lively fashion by twodistinguished primatologists, provides a basic, fully illustratedintroduction to the order of primates. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

amazing
Got to me extremely quickly andin great condition as stated by seller. I definitely recommend buying from this seller ... Read more