BBC/Discovery: Cousins

Rating:
Summary: The family album
Review: Dunbar and Barrett guide us through the forest of our family trees on a lively and informative tour. From tiny tarsiers to gargantuan gorillas, we are introduced to relatives familiar and forgotten. Some are distant in both time and place, but they are all part of our bloodline - or genetic lineage - whichever you prefer. As such, you should get acquainted and this is a fine introduction to the relationship. Each group of our primate relatives is described and superbly illustrated. Home range, diet and other characteristics are tabulated for each group. Most importantly, the lifestyles and behaviour patterns given demonstrate how much we know and need to learn. "Acting like a monkey" is a shopworn phrase that will be discarded by anyone reading this fine survey.

In describing primate evolutionary roots, the authors explain their importance to us. Primates exhibit special characteristics. Their arboreal living is almost unique among mammals. They share binocular vision with predator species, even when they subsist on leaves, fruit or grass. Meat-eating is not common among primates - our own roots suggest meat was but a minor part of our nutrition until recently. Given the limited size of this book and the wealth of material covered, there are still a number of surprises. Pictures of snow-covered Japanese macaques in warm mountain pools are commonplace today, but the authors suggest they learned this trick from tourists as recently as the 1960s! Learning, it seems, is more widespread among apes than previously thought. Chimpanzees "teach" others in their local group how to use tools.

Of all the traits Dunbar and Barrett describe, however, none is more enlightening than their summaries of primate behaviour. Primates have a wide range of social structures, from wandering solitaries to various groupings. Orang-utans are isolated by habit and habitat. More familiar chimps, gorillas, baboons and many monkey species form groups of gender divisions - single or few males dominant to numbers of females selectively controlling male access. Social arrangements lead to group activities of staggering variety. The most significant practice, however, is grooming - the removal of dead skin and parasites. Grooming takes up a significant proportion of time and is so meaningful in the social context as to be the most likely root of human speech.

Dunbar's comment in the "Further Information" section at the end summarizes the theme. He cites Jane Goodall's "In the Shadow of Man" as "the book that started it all . . . " Her studies of the Gombe chimpanzee community overthrew everything we thought we knew about apes and monkeys. Primate research has made immense strides since that 1971 publication. The authors have summarized the accomplishments and point to where more studies are required. They point out the need for haste, however. Many habitats are depleted and extinction awaits many species if steps aren't taken soon. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Rating:
Summary: The family album
Review: Dunbar and Barrett guide us through the forest of our family trees on a lively and informative tour. From tiny tarsiers to gargantuan gorillas, we are introduced to relatives familiar and forgotten. Some are distant in both time and place, but they are all part of our bloodline - or genetic lineage - whichever you prefer. As such, you should get acquainted and this is a fine introduction to the relationship. Each group of our primate relatives is described and superbly illustrated. Home range, diet and other characteristics are tabulated for each group. Most importantly, the lifestyles and behaviour patterns given demonstrate how much we know and need to learn. "Acting like a monkey" is a shopworn phrase that will be discarded by anyone reading this fine survey.

In describing primate evolutionary roots, the authors explain their importance to us. Primates exhibit special characteristics. Their arboreal living is almost unique among mammals. They share binocular vision with predator species, even when they subsist on leaves, fruit or grass. Meat-eating is not common among primates - our own roots suggest meat was but a minor part of our nutrition until recently. Given the limited size of this book and the wealth of material covered, there are still a number of surprises. Pictures of snow-covered Japanese macaques in warm mountain pools are commonplace today, but the authors suggest they learned this trick from tourists as recently as the 1960s! Learning, it seems, is more widespread among apes than previously thought. Chimpanzees "teach" others in their local group how to use tools.

Of all the traits Dunbar and Barrett describe, however, none is more enlightening than their summaries of primate behaviour. Primates have a wide range of social structures, from wandering solitaries to various groupings. Orang-utans are isolated by habit and habitat. More familiar chimps, gorillas, baboons and many monkey species form groups of gender divisions - single or few males dominant to numbers of females selectively controlling male access. Social arrangements lead to group activities of staggering variety. The most significant practice, however, is grooming - the removal of dead skin and parasites. Grooming takes up a significant proportion of time and is so meaningful in the social context as to be the most likely root of human speech.

Dunbar's comment in the "Further Information" section at the end summarizes the theme. He cites Jane Goodall's "In the Shadow of Man" as "the book that started it all . . . " Her studies of the Gombe chimpanzee community overthrew everything we thought we knew about apes and monkeys. Primate research has made immense strides since that 1971 publication. The authors have summarized the accomplishments and point to where more studies are required. They point out the need for haste, however. Many habitats are depleted and extinction awaits many species if steps aren't taken soon. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Rating:
Summary: Great teaching tool!
Review: I home teach my two children and bought this book for it's great pictures. I was pleasantly surprised with the great text full of interesting information. I also loved the family tress -now my kids now know about the different primate families. We have a trip planned to the zoo and will definately be bringing this book along. I highly recommend it!