Great Ape Societies

Unique synthesis of field, zoo and lab work on all Great Ape species, giving insight into human origins.

William C. McGrew (Edited by), Linda F. Marchant (Edited by), Toshisada Nishida (Edited by), Jane Goodall (Foreword by), Junichiro Itani (Afterword by)

9780521555364, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 28 July 1996

352 pages, 118 b/w illus.
24.9 x 18.8 x 1.9 cm, 0.63 kg

' … a great addition to the literature … It is essential reading for all primatologists and anthropologists.' David J. Chivers, Primate Eye

The great apes (chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and orangutans) are our closest living relatives, sharing a common ancestor only five million years ago. We also share key features such as high intelligence, omnivorous diets, prolonged child-rearing and rich social lives. The great apes show a surprising diversity of adaptations, particularly in social life, ranging from the solitary life of orangutans, through patriarchy in gorillas to complex but different social organisations in bonobos and chimpanzees. As great apes are so close to humans, comparisons yield essential knowledge for modelling human evolutionary origins. Great Ape Societies provides comprehensive up-to-date syntheses of work on all four species, drawing on decades of international field work, zoo and laboratory studies. It will be essential reading for students and researchers in primatology, anthropology, psychology and human evolution.

Preface
Foreword: conserving Great Apes Jane Goodall
Part I. Apes Overviewed: 1. Towards an understanding of the orangutan's social system Carel van Schaik and Jan van Hooff
2. Comparative socio-ecology of gorillas David Watts
3. Comparative socio-ecology of Pan paniscus Frances J. White
Part II. Social Ecology: 4. Social ecology of Kanyawara chimpanzees Richard Wrangham
5. Ranging and social structure of lowland gorillas in the Lope Reserve, Gabon Caroline Tutin
6. Sympatric chimpanzees and gorillas in the Ndoki Forest, Congo Suehisa Kuroda, Tomoaki Nishihara, Shigeru Suzuki and Rufin A. Oko
7. Dietary and ranin overlap in sympatric gorillas and chimpanzees in Kahuzi-Biega National Park, Zaire Juichi Yamagiwa, Tamaki Maruhashi, Takakazu Yumoto and Ndunda Nwanza
Part III. Social Relations: 8. Social grouping in Tai chimpanzees
9. Coalition strategies among adult male chimpanzees of the Mahale Mountains, Tanzania Toshisada Nishida and Kazuhiko Hosaka
10. Male rank order and copulation rate in a unit-group of bonobos at Wamba, Zaire Takayoshi Kano
11. Comparing copulations of chimpanzees and bonobos Yukio Takahata, Hiroshi Ihobe and Gen'ichi Idani
Part IV. Minds: 12. Conflict as negotiation Frans de Waal
13. Language perceived: Paniscus branches out E. S. Savage-Rumbaugh, S.Williams, T. Furuichi and T. Kano
14. Reciprocation in apes C. K. Hemelrijk
15. Chimpanzee intelligence in nature and captivity Tetsuro Matsuzawa
Part V. Apes Compared: 16. Comparative positional behavior of the African apes Diane Doran
17. Nest-building behavior in the great apes Barbara Fruth and Gottfried Hohmann
18. Comparative studies of African ape vocal behavior John Mitani
19. On which side of the apes? Ethological study of laterality of hand use W. C. McGrew and L. F. Marchant
Part VI. Modelling Ourselves: 20. Savanna chimpanzees, referential models and the Last Common Ancestor Jim Moore
21. Reconstructions reconsidered: Chimpanzee models and human evolution Adrienne Zihlman
Afterword - A new milestone in great ape research Junichiro Itani
Appendix: Study sites
Index.

Subject Areas: Animal ecology [PSVS], Animal behaviour [PSVP]