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Overview
New World Monkeys brings to life the beauty of evolution and biodiversity in action among South and Central American primates, who are now at risk. These tree-dwelling rainforest inhabitants display an unparalleled variety in size, shape, hands, feet, tails, brains, locomotion, feeding, social systems, forms of communication, and mating strategies. Primatologist Alfred Rosenberger, one of the foremost experts on these mammals, explains their fascinating adaptations and how they came about.
New World Monkeys provides a dramatic picture of the sixteen living genera of New World monkeys and a fossil record that shows that their ancestors have lived in the same ecological niches for up to 20 million years—only to now find themselves imperiled by the extinction crisis. Rosenberger also challenges the argument that these primates originally came to South America from Africa by floating across the Atlantic on a raft of vegetation some 45 million years ago. He explains that they are more likely to have crossed via a land bridge that once connected Western Europe and Canada at a time when many tropical mammals transferred between the northern continents.
Based on the most current findings, New World Monkeys offers the first synthesis of decades of fieldwork and laboratory and museum research conducted by hundreds of scientists.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780691143644 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Princeton University Press |
| Publication date: | 09/01/2020 |
| Pages: | 368 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x (d) |
About the Author
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations xi
Preface xv
Chapter 1 What Is a New World Monkey? 1
What is a monkey? 3
What is a platyrrhine? 8
Platyrrhines and catarrhines 12
Platyrrhine taxonomy 15
20 million years of evolution: 16 genera of extant playrrhine primates 18
Chapter 2 Diverse Lifestyles 22
Predatory frugivores: Family Cebidae 26
Fruit huskers and seed eaters: Family Pitheciidae 50
Prehensile-tailed frugivore-folivores: Family Atelidae 66
Chapter 3 What's In a Name? 79
A new fossil gets a title 82
Names can reflect evolutionary hypotheses 86
Changing ideas can result in name changes 89
Chapter 4 Evolutionary Models 91
How do diverse genera coexist in one patch of forest?: the Ecophylogenetic Hypothesis 95
DNA and anatomy: molecules and morphology 100
Cebines and callitrichines share a unique common ancestor 102
Chasing monkeys: synthesizing behavior, ecology, and morphology 105
The platyrrhine Tree of Life 109
Chapter 5 How to Eat like a Monkey 113
Different teeth for different foods 115
What do they eat? 119
Secondary food preferences 121
Surviving preferred-food scarcity 124
Gouging tree bark to eat the tree gum 126
Incisors are key to fruit eating 129
Who are the leaf eaters? 134
Chapter 5 Arboreal Acrobats 139
Locomotor types: dingers, climbers, leapers, and more 144
Feet and hands tell the story of platyrrhine evolution 148
Hanging, clambering, and locomoting with a prehensile tail 151
Platyrrhines are the only primates that evolved grasping tails 154
Tails for balancing, embracing, and coiling for social bonding 158
Chapter 7 Many Kinds of Platyrrhine Brains 161
Studying brain size and shape 163
Brain-to-body-size relationships 168
The monkey stole my keys: intelligence and dexterity are tightly correlated 170
Fingertips, precision grips, and tool use 172
The sensorimotor strip in the brain controls tail use 174
Evolution of the brain in platyrrhines is shaped by phylogeny, ecology, and social behavior 176
Chapter 8 The Varieties and Means of Social Organization 178
A day in the life of a platyrrhine 181
Communicating through visual displays 186
Tail-twining in Titi and Owl Monkeys as tactile communication 190
Vocalizing with roars and duets 191
Sending scent signals 196
The odoriferous callitrichines 200
Foraging parties 203
Capuchin gestural language 204
An evolutionary model of platyrrhine sociality 207
Chapter 9 20 Million Years: Every Fossil Tells a Story 212
Linking a fossil with a living monkey: the Long-Lineage Hypothesis 220
The La Venta fossils look like modern monkeys 224
Fossil evidence for longevity with little change 231
A 12-14-million-year-old Owl Monkey fossil 233
Fossils that tell us where they once lived, what they ate, and more 237
The mystery of fossils found on Caribbean islands 250
Fossils prior to 20 million years ago: more questions than answers 258
Chapter 10 South America Was Once an Island: How Did Platyrrhine Ancestors Get There? 263
The Americas Scenario 267
The Transatlantic Scenario 274
Calculating the likelihood of the Transatlantic Scenario 278
Chapter 11 After 20 Million Years of Existence, New World Monkeys Face Extinction 282
Not only species, but entire evolutionary streams are in peril 283
The Atlantic Forest, a biodiversity hotspot, is being decimated 285
Conservation efforts: Golden Lion Tamarin Project and Muriqui Project of Caratinga 287
All that is being lost can never be recovered 293
Acknowledgments 295
Glossary of Terms 297
Recommended Reading 301
References 303
Index 317
What People are Saying About This
“New World Monkeys is a comprehensive state-of-the-science account of the adaptations and evolutionary history of a major group of primates, written by an innovative scientist. It will be a very valuable resource for biological anthropologists, primate ecologists, primate evolutionary biologists, and their graduate students.”—Marilyn A. Norconk, Kent State University"Alfred Rosenberger is a consummate integrative biologist who deftly assimilates morphological, ecological, and behavioral information to understand the whole organism. Combining his synthetic approach and lifelong passion for unfolding the long history of New World monkeys, this gorgeous book reminds the reader that evolutionary puzzles and anatomical questions are best answered via observation of the animal itself, fossilized or living. I recommend it to anyone who is curious about the life around us."—Joanna E. Lambert, University of Colorado Boulder“A masterful overview of the New World primates and the adaptations of their long-evolving ancestors. Alfred Rosenberger gives us the big picture—truly fascinating insights into the commonalities and differences that were molded by diverse adaptive zones in the forests of Central and South America.”—Anthony B. Rylands, Global Wildlife Conservation
“This is a very readable, copiously illustrated book on the primates of Central and South America by a world authority. Alfred Rosenberger discusses taxonomy, evolution, behavior, anatomy, paleontology, and conservation, and often enriches the discussions with highlights from his own experiences, as well as short introductions to other scientists."—John G. Fleagle, author of Primate Adaptation and Evolution
“Alfred Rosenberger is the world's leading authority on the evolutionary history of the New World primates, a fascinating group of monkeys very different from their Old World counterparts. In this amazing synthesis of knowledge, Rosenberger shares his lifetime of experience on the subject. Particularly interesting and enlightening is the chapter on the fossils, which is his greatest contribution to our understanding of this diverse radiation of primates.”—Russell A. Mittermeier, Global Wildlife Conservation