What Is a Primate? (The Science of Living Things)

Kalman, Bobbie; Levigne, Heather

ISBN 10: 0865059225 ISBN 13: 9780865059221

Publisher: Crabtree Pub Co, 1999

While humans are different from monkeys, apes, and lemurs, they are all primates and are similar in many ways. Intended for children of ages 6-12, this book identifies the members of the primate family tree and describes how they are different from each other. It describes reproduction, communication, and feeding, among other things.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Taken from Chapter 8: Gorillas Gorillas are folivores, which means they eat mainly the leaves and stems of plants such as bamboo and wild cherry. Gorillas have a large body and need a lot of energy to breathe and grow. Leaves do not provide as much energy as insects or meat, so gorillas have to spend most of their time foraging for food. Gorillas search for food within their home range, or territory. Their home range is a vast area. It has to be big enough to provide food for the entire troop.

From Library Journal:

Grade 3-5-This slim introduction does a so-so job. Double-page spreads incorporate tiny sound bites of information organized in captioned paragraphs and attractive full-color photos accompanied by boxed captions. The two-page chapters provide general information on primates and the different species including gorillas, gibbons, orangutans, chimpanzees, and bonobos. When readers are told "Our [primate] thumbs allow us to pick up and hold objects. Animals without opposable thumbs cannot do this," they may wonder about the manual dexterity of raccoons, and possibly parrots, whose clumsy looking claws can nimbly handle a slippery sunflower seed. Unfamiliar terms are emphasized in dark type, and are then defined in the text or the glossary. Consider instead Thane Maynard's slightly more difficult Primates (Watts, 1997). Informative, attractive, and well written, it includes all the data found in What Is a Primate? and more.
Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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