Monkeytalk: Inside the Worlds and Minds of Primates

by Julia Fischer, Frederick B. Henry Jr. (Translator)

Overview

Monkey see, monkey do—or does she? Can the behavior of non-human primates—their sociality, their intelligence, their communication—really be chalked up to simple mimicry? Emphatically, absolutely: no. And as famed primatologist Julia Fischer reveals, the human bias inherent in this oft-uttered adage is our loss, for it is only through the study of our primate brethren that we may begin to understand ourselves.

An eye-opening blend of storytelling, memoir, and science, Monkeytalk takes us into the field and the world’s primate labs to investigate the intricacies of primate social mores through the lens of communication. After first detailing the social interactions of key species from her fieldwork—from baby-wielding male Barbary macaques, who use infants as social accessories in a variety of interactions, to aggression among the chacma baboons of southern Africa and male-male tolerance among the Guinea baboons of Senegal—Fischer explores the role of social living in the rise of primate intelligence and communication, ultimately asking what the ways in which other primates communicate can teach us about the evolution of human language.

Funny and fascinating, Fischer’s tale roams from a dinner in the field shared with lionesses to insights gleaned from Rico, a border collie with an astonishing vocabulary, but its message is clear: it is humans who are the evolutionary mimics. The primate heritage visible in our species is far more striking than the reverse, and it is the monkeys who deserve to be seen. “The social life of macaques and baboons is a magnificent opera,” Fischer writes. “Permit me now to raise the curtain on it.”

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780226124247
Publisher:	University of Chicago Press
Publication date:	01/04/2017
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Julia Fischer is professor in the German Primate Center and head of the Department of Cognitive Ethology at Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Germany, as well as president of the European Federation of Primatology. Frederick B. Henry Jr. holds an MA in anthropology from the University of Chicago and is an independent scholar and translator of German who has worked with several university presses.

Table of Contents

Prologue xi

Part 1 Social Behavior 1

Primate Diversity 3

Barbary Macaques: Model Monkeys 4

Primate Social Systems 14

Social Organization 15

Mating Systems 17

Social Relationships 20

Chacma Baboons: Into the Wild 30

Baboon Camp 33

Long-Term Studies 37

Aggression 41

Guinea Baboons: Uncharted Territories 46

An Expedition to Senegal 47

Simenti 49

First Findings 52

The Evolution of Baboons 56

Challenges of the Third Kind 59

Part 2 Cognition 65

What Do Animals Think? 67

Trophy Hunters and Killjoys 68

The Social Brain 71

Physical Cognition 75

The Basics 75

Quantities 80

Space 84

Time 90

Social Intelligence 95

Do Animals Have Culture? 95

Forms of Social Learning 100

Gaze Following 105

Social Knowledge 108

Theory of Mind 117

Intentions 117

Seeing and Knowing 119

Belief 123

Metacognition 126

The Evolution of Intelligence 130

Part 3 Communication 133

What Is Communication? 135

Senders and Receivers 135

Information 136

Signals and Cues 138

The Function of Monkey Sounds 139

Communication in Conflicts 140

Mating Calls 143

Group Coordination 144

The Evolution of Language: Beginnings 148

Early Theories 148

A Pioneer 150

Elements of Linguistic Competence 152

Ape Language Projects 153

Language Training for Apes 153

Symbolic Languages 155

Natural Communication in Primates 160

Alarm Calls 161

Vocal Behavior 164

Dialects 166

Development of Reactions 175

Perception of Gradual Differences 176

Word Learning in a Domestic Dog 181

The Evolution of Language: State of the Art 188

Syntactic Abilities 188

Is There a Gene for Language? 192

Gestural Communication 193

Intentional Communication 197

Just for the Fun of It 202

The Evolution of Communication 204

Conclusion and Prospects 207

Acknowledgments 211

Notes 215

References 221

Index 239

Editorial Reviews

In Monkeytalk, Fischer offers a lively, personal, and nuanced perspective on primate behavior. She neither embellishes nor diminishes primate intelligence, but evaluates it objectively. And she does so in the most appropriate way—in the natural environment in which it evolved.

Dorothy L. Cheney and Robert M. Seyfarth

How Monkeys See the World is . . . the title of a classic work in primate research that was written in 1990 by Dorothy Cheney and Robert Seyfarth. Later on, Fischer herself worked for this team of researchers, and in Botswana she worked on, among other things, detailed ‘playback’ experiments in which . . . the alarm call of a relative was played to monkeys using a (hidden) speaker so that their reactions could be observed. In her book Monkeytalk, Fischer now offers a beautiful overview of the state of such research projects.

on the German edition Die Zeit

"[One of our] book recommendations for January."

Scientific American

A delight. . . . Fischer adroitly explores the big questions now being asked about primate minds. Can they understand the intentions of others? Are they able to ‘time travel’ and plan for the future? How much can they learn by watching others? Are they capable of metacognition, of knowing what it is that they know? . . . You discover an unusual mix of science and insight, interspersed with funny anecdotes from African field work, including how to dress for ‘survival in the bureaucratic jungle.’ Pink pumps, a plastic handbag, lots of rhinestones, and glittery appliqué were all needed for Fischer to meet local expectations of what a lady looked like—and obtain a vehicle permit. The book ends on a serious note, though. The only way we will really understand our own origins is to explore the minds of other primate species along with the bewildering differences in the societies they live in, their ecology, neurobiology, and genetics. But primate populations are being destroyed so fast that our close relatives may vanish from the wild before we can find out what made us human.

New Scientist

One discovers again and again in this book the close affinity between monkeys and humans. This book needed to be written!

on the German edition Cuxhavener Allgemeine

This eminently readable book explains from a position of erudite affinity with the animal world just why an anthropomorphic view of it is equally misleading as a purely naturalist depiction of human culture. Refreshing, both for us humans and for the monkeys.

on the German edition Süddeutsche Zeitung

Accessible and . . . entertaining. . . . Fischer’s book . . . is very much to be treasured.

on the German edition Die Tagezeitung

Monkeytalk invites readers into the complex social world of monkeys. . . . Our primate relatives specialize in tracking comrades’ behaviors, Fischer holds, rather than trying to infer others’ plans and desires. And unlike human groups, monkey communities don’t steadily accumulate knowledge and innovations or communicate in languagelike ways. . . . So what if monkeys don’t write books or gossip about each other? Their social lives are complex enough to remain largely a mystery to humans, Fischer concludes. The gritty work of conducting long-term studies, especially in the wild, can illuminate the worlds inhabited by monkeys.

Science News

An excellent and entertaining book about how we may begin to uncover the capacities of our closest relatives.

on the German edition Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

Along with her results, Fischer’s book offers numerous anecdotes taken from the everyday life of a researcher and is thus both informative and enjoyable reading.

on the German edition Das Leibniz-Journal

Fischer is profoundly knowledgeable about communication among monkeys. . . . She has the best information on what observational and experimental work her worthy colleagues are performing, and she is also well versed in the history of behavioral research. . . . The media are constantly reporting similar things: Amazing, monkeys can speak! Or: We’re like them after all, and they’re just like us—only not as clever! . . . The wonderful thing about Fischer’s book is that she does not follow this path. She writes that comparing a human child to a grown monkey is problematic. She focuses not on the comparison ‘What can monkeys do, and what can humans do?’ but rather the respect that we should show the fellow creatures in our world. . . . It is made clear that monkeys are intelligent, but in their own way and in a manner suited for their own purposes.

on the German edition Laborjournal

Fischer’s recollections of field research (where ‘strong nerves, grit and oftentimes a morbid sense of humor are essential’) and descriptions of monkey behavior are highly engaging. The account of babysitting among Barbary macaques is especially vivid and memorable. . . . Only on the final page does Fischer make the reader fully aware of two very dark clouds hanging over the progress of knowledge concerning our fellow primates. One is that long-term research—while necessary, since most species have long life spans—is difficult given the scarcity of long-term funding. The other is that a majority of species are now endangered, and many are on the verge of extinction. Monkeytalk certainly leaves you with a feeling of the depths that loss will mean.

Inside Higher Ed

“This eminently readable book explains from a position of erudite affinity with the animal world just why an anthropomorphic view of it is equally misleading as a purely naturalist depiction of human culture. Refreshing, both for us humans and for the monkeys.

on the German edition Süddeutsche Zeitung

“A delight. . . . Fischer adroitly explores the big questions now being asked about primate minds. Can they understand the intentions of others? Are they able to ‘time travel’ and plan for the future? How much can they learn by watching others? Are they capable of metacognition, of knowing what it is that they know? . . . You discover an unusual mix of science and insight, interspersed with funny anecdotes from African field work, including how to dress for ‘survival in the bureaucratic jungle.’ Pink pumps, a plastic handbag, lots of rhinestones, and glittery appliqué were all needed for Fischer to meet local expectations of what a lady looked like—and obtain a vehicle permit. The book ends on a serious note, though. The only way we will really understand our own origins is to explore the minds of other primate species along with the bewildering differences in the societies they live in, their ecology, neurobiology, and genetics. But primate populations are being destroyed so fast that our close relatives may vanish from the wild before we can find out what made us human.

New Scientist