Harvard University Press
The New Chimpanzee: A Twenty-First-Century Portrait of Our Closest Kin
Key Metrics
- Craig Stanford
- Harvard University Press
- Hardcover
- 9780674977112
- 9.2 X 6.4 X 1.1 inches
- 1.1 pounds
- Science > Life Sciences - Zoology - Primatology
- English
Secure TransactionBook Description
Recent discoveries about wild chimpanzees have dramatically reshaped our understanding of these great apes and their kinship with humans. We now know that chimpanzees not only have genomes similar to our own but also plot political coups, wage wars over territory, pass on cultural traditions to younger generations, and ruthlessly strategize for resources, including sexual partners. In The New Chimpanzee, Craig Stanford challenges us to let apes guide our inquiry into what it means to be human.
With wit and lucidity, Stanford explains what the past two decades of chimpanzee field research has taught us about the origins of human social behavior, the nature of aggression and communication, and the divergence of humans and apes from a common ancestor. Drawing on his extensive observations of chimpanzee behavior and social dynamics, Stanford adds to our knowledge of chimpanzees' political intelligence, sexual power plays, violent ambition, cultural diversity, and adaptability.
The New Chimpanzee portrays a complex and even more humanlike ape than the one Jane Goodall popularized more than a half century ago. It also sounds an urgent call for the protection of our nearest relatives at a moment when their survival is at risk.
Author Bio
Craig Stanford is a biological anthropologist and professor of Anthropology and Biological Sciences at USC, and has conducted extensive field research on wild great apes, monkeys, and other animals. His work has often focused on the ecological relationships among the primate species sharing a tropical forest ecosystem.
He has conducted field studies in East Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Central and South America. In addition to 15 years research on chimpanzee behavioral ecology in East Africa, he has recently been collaborating in studies on endangered Asian primates and other animals.
The author of more than a dozen books and 100 scholarly articles, he also holds a research appointment in vertebrate biology at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, and is involved in the biology and conservation of endangered tortoises in southeast Asia.
Source: University of Southern California
Videos
Community reviews
Write a ReviewNo Community reviews