In Primates and Cetaceans: Field Research and Conservation of Complex Mammalian Societies, the editors present a view of the socioecology of primates and cetaceans in a comparative perspective to elucidate the social evolution of highly intellectual mammals in terrestrial and aquatic environments. Despite obvious differences in morphology and eco-physiology, there are many cases of comparable, sometimes strikingly similar patterns of sociobehavioral complexity. A number of long-term field studies have accumulated a substantial amount of data on the life history of various taxa, foraging ecology, social and sexual relationships, demography, and various patterns of behavior: from dynamic fission–fusion to long-term stable societies; from male-bonded to bisexually bonded to matrilineal groups. Primatologists and cetologists have come together to provide this resource. Their knowledge facilitates a better understanding of the day-to-day challenges primates and cetaceans face in the human-dominated world and may improve the capacity and effectiveness of our conservation efforts. 444 p.
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