Primate Society

Curious Barbary macaques, belligerent Chacma baboons, shy Guinea baboons: these are just some of the protagonists of this exciting new book.

Primatologist Julia Fischer explores the myriad forms of communal living of primates, examines the origins and limits of their intelligence and asks whether they have something like language. Through a combination of lab and field work she is able to demonstrate astonishing parallels between the social behaviour of humans and other primates, as well as the important differences that separate us from our closest relatives.

In Senegal, in Botswana or in an outdoor enclosure in France: Fischer describes the social behaviour, intelligence and communication of primates in a way that is both rigorous and entertaining. Enriched with many stories of the daily life of a primatologist trying to deal with dangerous leopards and overcome bureaucratic hurdles, this is a book that manages to present cutting edge research in a way that is accessible to a general audience interested in this fascinating topic: primate society.

»Julia Fischer has written an excellent and entertaining book about how we may begin to uncover the capacities of our closest relatives.« FAZ

»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 apes.« SZ

»Julia Fischer presents her primate field research in very readable form. A pioneering work of scholarship« taz

»The reader is confronted with a lot of real science, and presented with all the open questions and experiments without simple explanations. At the same time, the style of the book is wonderfully light, devoid of jargon and long lists of data.« Deutschlandradio Kultur