Introduction to the Primates

Swindler, Daris R.

ISBN 10: 0295977043 / ISBN 13: 9780295977041

Published by University of Washington Press, 1998

About this Item

Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.

Seller Inventory # GRP102366318

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Introduction to the Primates
• Publisher: University of Washington Press
• Publication Date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0295977043
• ISBN 13: 9780295977041
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: Good
• Weight: 1.003 pounds

About this title

Synopsis

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.

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
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.