| Chapter 1: | Introduction |
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This ability is so complex as to defy easy explanation and is one that causes friction between and within societies. It is ironic that although it is possible to describe the behavior of baboons and gibbons in considerable detail, it is difficult to describe some aspects of human behavior in terms that that all people will understand and agree upon. In addition, biologists and primatologists often ignore those scholars who do specialize in human behavior, such as social anthropologists.
Our Parameters
Most of the examples in this book are taken from animals living in the wild. Only occasionally, to make a specific point, do we refer to animals confined in research laboratories or in zoos. This is because the behavior of a species can drastically change in captivity. For example, Joan Silk (1994) noted that adult male bonnet macaques in captivity (which have had their canine teeth routinely clipped and blunted) “frequently sit together, groom, huddle, greet, and support one another” (p. 288). In the wild, however, although the males still clasp together in a bunch to rest (Sugiyama, 1971), they sometimes seriously injure each other (Silk, 1994). As shall be seen in chapter 3, hamadryas baboons, by contrast, can be far fiercer in captivity than in the wild. As another example, female dominance hierarchies have never been reported in wild silvered lutungs, that most peaceful of leaf monkeys, but they do sort themselves into dominance rankings in captivity when food is provided (Amarasinghe, Botejue, & Harding, 2009). It is imperative that behavior observed in caged individuals not be assumed to be the same as that of animals in the wild. It is also worth noting that sometimes conditions in the wild have been so altered by human beings that habitats become more like bad zoos than natural environments.
Our information about fossil material is as up to date as possible, given that new finds continue to be reported. All scientific information is referenced with sources, noted in superscripts, and listed in the bibliography.