Introduction to the Primates

Introduction to the Primatesis 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. "A succinct and highly readable exposition of the past and present members of the zoological Order Primates. The book invites the reader to appreciate the diversity of primates and the similarities between human and nonhuman primates that are a result of our shared evolutionary heritage." - Nina Jablonski, California Academy of Sciences