Foreword

Dr. Charlotte Uhlenbroek

The Primate World

The primates are one of the most ancient of the mammal families, with an ancestry dating back to the age of the dinosaurs. With the demise of these huge reptiles 65 million years ago, the primates began to flourish, moving out of the shadows and successfully diversifying into a wide variety of species and lifestyles. Today, the primates found throughout the world represent only a fraction of the species that once existed-and many of these are now under threat

What Is a Primate?

Primate Origins

Primates Today

The Prosimians

The prosimans are the most unusual of the modern-day primates. Although most species are solitary and live in the dark, they nevertheless have active social live in which scents and sounds play a very important role. The island of Madagascar is the domain of the lemurs, and here another unusual feature of prosimian life is found: females are often dominant to males; is they who call the shots

Creatures of the Night

Scents and Sounds

Females in Charge

The Last Refuge of the Lemurs

Family Portraits: Prosimians

The Monkeys

Sociability is the hallmark of monkey life. All species of monkey live in groups of one kind or another. But while group living is an ideal solution to the problem of avoiding predators, it also creates problems of its own as animals are forced to compete for food. Good social skills are essential under these circumstances. Keeping track of dominance hierarchies and navigating their way through complex networks of relationships means that the monkeys need to keep their wits about them at all times

Monkey Lifestyles

Group Living

The Mating Game

A Unique Intelligence

Family Portraits: Monkeys

The Apes

Gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans belong to the same primate group: the apes. Like their monkey cousins, apes are highly social creatures with a diversity of lifestyles, but with more refined social and intellectual skills and larger brains. In just a few million years, humans have evolved to become the dominant ape species. What separates us from-and unites us with-the other apes? Are we as different as we like to think?

Planet of the Apes

Life in a Dispersed Society

Apes with Intellect

An Ape on Two Legs

Family Portraits: Apes

Afterword

Further information

Picture credits

Index