THE ORANGUTANS Their Evolution, Behavior, and Future Gisela Kaplan and Lesley Rogers Perseus Publishing Cambridge, Massachusetts 2000 CONTENTS Acknowledgments PART I EVOLUTION 1 Arriving at an Island Home 3 2 Apes on the Evolutionary Tree 17 3 Adaptations of the Orangutan 32 PART II BEHAVIOR 4 Mothers and Infants 49 5 Learning 66 6 Problem Solving and Tool Use 80 7 Communication 97 8 Mating, Sex, and Diversity 114 PART III THE FUTURE OF THE SPECIES 9 In Human Company, Captive or Free 131 10 A Future? 147 Notes 159 References 169 Index 185 FROM INSIDE JACKET Although much of primate research has focused on chimpanzees and gorillas, orangutans are among our closest relatives and in fact behave remarkably like us. In this eye-opening book, two experts on animal behavior explore these fascinating similarities, and, in the process, paint a compassionate picture of these endearing, intelligent primates. With warm and impassioned prose, Kaplan, who also specializes in psychology, and Rogers, a biologist and neuroethologist, delve into the heart of orangutan behavior and society. They describe in amazing detail how orangutans learn from each other, mother their young, and communicate. Blending their own extensive research with the work of other scientists in the field, they offer fresh insight into orangutans' emotions and the evolution of their brains. Kaplan and Rogers wrestle with a number of intriguing questions, from how orangutans cope with grief to whether they are conscious or self-aware. The Orangutans is also a moving treatise describing the perilous future of these magnificent forest dwellers. The authors bring an extremely grounded perspective to the politically charged issue of saving the rainforests, a battleground where biologists and environmentalists fight industry and agriculture to preserve a sensitive ecosystem. They reveal the devastating effects on the habitat of orangutans-who live only on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo-of recent fires, droughts, and widespread floods. Driving home the danger we face of losing these extraordinary animals, they evaluate the best ways to protect orangutans in the wild and preserve our evolutionary heritage. The Orangutans is an intimately revealing exploration of these fascinating creatures with whom we share so much. Gisela Kaplan and Lesley J. Rogers are professors at the University of New England in New South Wales, Australia, and active researchers of orangutans in Indonesia and Malaysia. They are the coauthors of "Not Only Roars and Rituals: Communication in Animals" and Rogers is the author of "Minds of Their Own: Thinking and Awareness in Animals." WHERE TO ORDER: Perseus Books Group Customer Service Department 5500 Central Avenue Boulder, CO 80301 Phone: (800) 386-5656 Fax: (303) 449-3356 Email: westview.orders@perseusbooks.com web site: www.perseuspublishing.com Price: $23 Hard Cover (ISBN: 0738202908)
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