The Primate Fossil Record

The Primate Fossil Record
Author: Walter Carl Hartwig
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 554
Release: 2002-04-11
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780521663151

A comprehensive treatment of primate paleontology. Profusely illustrated and up to date, it captures the complete history of the discovery and interpretation of primate fossils. The chapters range from primate origins to the advent of anatomically modern humans. Each emphasizes three key components of the record of primate evolution: history of discovery, taxonomy of the fossils, and evolution of the adaptive radiations they represent. The Primate Fossil Record summarizes objectively the many intellectual debates surrounding the fossil record and provides a foundation of reference information on the last two decades of astounding discoveries and worldwide field research for physical anthropologists, paleontologists and evolutionary biologists.

Fossil Primates

Fossil Primates
Author: Susan Cachel
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 317
Release: 2015-04-23
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1316298159

Reconstructing the paleobiology of fossil non-human primates, this book is intended as an exposition of non-human primate evolution that includes information about evolutionary theory and processes, paleobiology, paleoenvironment, how fossils are formed, how fossils illustrate evolutionary processes, the reconstruction of life from fossils, the formation of the primate fossil record, functional anatomy, and the genetic bases of anatomy. Throughout, the emphasis of the book is on the biology of fossil primates, not their taxonomic classification or systematics, or formal species descriptions. The author draws detailed pictures of the paleoenvironment of fossil primates, including contemporary animals and plants, and ancient primate communities, emphasizing our ability to reconstruct lifeways from fragmentary bones and teeth, using functional anatomy, stable isotopes from enamel and collagen, and high resolution CT-scans of the cranium. Fossil Primates will be essential reading for advanced undergraduates and graduate students in evolutionary anthropology, primatology and vertebrate paleobiology.

Evolutionary History of the Primates

Evolutionary History of the Primates
Author: Frederick S. Szalay
Publisher: Academic Press
Total Pages: 597
Release: 2013-10-22
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1483289257

Evolutionary History of the Primates presents a documentation and analysis of the fossil record and evolutionary history of the primates to facilitate the understanding of the genealogy, adaptations, dispersal, and taxonomy of the order. The book consists of 13 chapters; each chapter is devoted to a specific genera or higher taxa of primates. The chapters contain available information on the morphology, relationships, and adaptations of primate groups. The book clarifies discussed points or documents interpretations, and it indicates the type of fossil material available for each taxon. The text will be valuable to many researchers and students who need a source of data and interpretations about fossil primates.

Reconstructing Behavior in the Primate Fossil Record

Reconstructing Behavior in the Primate Fossil Record
Author: J. Michael Plavcan
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 444
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 146151343X

This volume brings together a series of papers that address the topic of reconstructing behavior in the primate fossil record. The literature devoted to reconstructing behavior in extinct species is ovelWhelming and very diverse. Sometimes, it seems as though behavioral reconstruction is done as an afterthought in the discussion section of papers, relegated to the status of informed speculation. But recent years have seen an explosion in studies of adaptation, functional anatomy, comparative sociobiology, and development. Powerful new comparative methods are now available on the internet. At the same time, we face a rapidly growing fossil record that offers more and more information on the morphology and paleoenvironments of extinct species. Consequently, inferences of behavior in extinct species have become better grounded in comparative studies of living species and are becoming increas ingly rigorous. We offer here a series of papers that review broad issues related to reconstructing various aspects of behavior from very different types of evi dence. We hope that in so doing, the reader will gain a perspective on the various types of evidence that can be brought to bear on reconstructing behavior, the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches, and, perhaps, new approaches to the topic. We define behavior as broadly as we can including life-history traits, locomotion, diet, and social behavior, giving the authors considerable freedom in choosing what, exactly, they wish to explore.

Primate Adaptation and Evolution

Primate Adaptation and Evolution
Author: Bozzano G Luisa
Publisher: Academic Press
Total Pages: 507
Release: 2013-10-22
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1483288501

Primate Adaptation and Evolutionis the only recent text published in this rapidly progressing field. It provides you with an extensive, current survey of the order Primates, both living and fossil. By combining information on primate anatomy, ecology, and behavior with the primate fossil record, this book enables students to study primates from all epochs as a single, viable group. It surveys major primate radiations throughout 65 million years, and provides equal treatment of both living and extinct species.ï Presents a summary of the primate fossilsï Reviews primate evolutionï Provides an introduction to the primate anatomyï Discusses the features that distinguish the living groups of primatesï Summarizes recent work on primate ecology

The Hunt for the Dawn Monkey

The Hunt for the Dawn Monkey
Author: Christopher Beard
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 396
Release: 2004-12-20
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780520940253

Taking us back roughly 45 million years into the Eocene, "the dawn of recent life," Chris Beard, a world-renowned expert on the primate fossil record, offers a tantalizing new perspective on our deepest evolutionary roots. In a fast-paced narrative full of vivid stories from the field, he reconstructs our extended family tree, showing that the first anthropoids—the diverse and successful group that includes monkeys, apes, and humans—evolved millions of years earlier than was previously suspected and emerged in Asia rather than Africa. In The Hunt for the Dawn Monkey, Beard chronicles the saga of two centuries of scientific exploration in search of anthropoid origins, from the early work of Georges Cuvier, the father of paleontology, to the latest discoveries in Asia, Africa, and North America's Rocky Mountains. Against this historical backdrop, he weaves the story of how his own expeditions have unearthed crucial fossils—including the controversial primate Eosimias—that support his compelling new vision of anthropoid evolution. The only book written for a wide audience that explores this remote phase of our own evolutionary history, The Hunt for the Dawn Monkey adds a fascinating new chapter to our understanding of humanity's relationship to the rest of life on earth.

Introduction to the Primates

Introduction to the Primates
Author: Daris R. Swindler
Publisher: University of Washington Press
Total Pages: 301
Release: 2012-09-20
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0295802790

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.

Primate Evolution and Human Origins

Primate Evolution and Human Origins
Author: Russell L. Ciochon
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 786
Release: 2017-09-08
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1351496689

Primate Evolution and Human Origins compiles, for the first time, the major ideas and publications that have shaped our current view of the evolutionary biology of the primates and the origin of the human line. Designed for freshmen-to-graduate students in anthropology, paleontology, and biology, the book is a unique collection of classic papers, culled from the past 20 years of research. It is also an important reference for academicians and researchers, as it covers the entire scope of primate and human evolution (with an emphasis on the fossil record). A comprehensive bibliography cites over 2000 significant articles not found in the main text.

Primates

Primates
Author: Alfred L. Rosenberger
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 338
Release: 2023-08-28
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1000922375

This book is an accessible and comprehensive introduction to primates. It provides both a survey and synthesis of primate history, biology, and behavior. As a survey, it offers a focused review of living and extinct primates in regional and community frameworks. As a synthesis, it applies the community perspective in a unique way to explore primates’ adaptive diversity in the context of how evolution works. The book encourages students to study primates as integrated members of regional communities, ecologically, historically, and evolutionarily. The chapters are organized to emphasize the patterns of primate radiations in the four regions of the world where primates live, and to facilitate comparisons among the radiations. The overviews of communities illustrate how the ecological adaptations of different species and taxonomic or phylogenetic groups enable them to coexist. Illustrations and tools to aid students’ learning include case studies, photographs, figures, tables, charts, key concepts, and quizlets to self-test. This book is an ideal introduction for students studying nonhuman primates, primatology, primate behavior, or primate ecology.