Primate Anatomy: An Introduction

Extract

Very few introductory books on the subject of primate comparative morphology exist today, perhaps because of the monumental task of surveying the >200 extant species. However, the need for such a book is great. Thankfully, Dr. Ankel-Simons has undertaken the task in this 2nd edition of her 1983 work. This new edition of Primate Anatomy undertakes the extraordinary challenge of presenting detailed morphologic information from primate species that must be accessible to the new, undergraduate primatology student, yet meticulous enough for the advanced student. Primate Anatomy reads easily enough to be useful to the new student. It also contains enough detailed information to allow the advanced student to synthesize functional and evolutionary trends across the primate order and to understand how these trends fit into the overall scheme of mammalian functional morphology and evolutionary biology. Because of Ankel-Simons' engaging writing style, zealous attention to detail, organization, and obvious familiarity with and love of the subject, the effort largely succeeds.