Social Play in Primates provides comprehensive discussions on the social aspect of play in the behavior of primates. It also presents various approaches in understanding the complex behavioral phenomenon of play. Composed of 11 chapters, the book starts by discussing the historical background of play. It also traces the development of the interest in the study of play from the writings of Aristotle, through educational reformers of the 17th and 18th centuries, to the psychologists of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The book then presents important data on the effects of gonadectomy on social play in group-living rhesus monkeys. It also presents a comparative study about the play behavior of three of the four great ape species. Furthermore, it offers a view of the function of play in primate society. Finally, the book examines play in young humans by citing some significant information on the nature of peer- vs. adult-oriented early social experience. The book concludes by presenting both the theoretical and methodological aspects on the study of play.
Abnormal behaviour patterns, from the jumping and somersaulting of caged laboratory mice to the pacing of enclosed 'big cats', are displayed by many millions of farm, zoo, research and companion animals. Including new chapters and over 30 contributors, this book focuses on the causation and treatment of these environment-induced stereotypic behaviours, and their implications for animal welfare and normalcy of brain functioning. The book begins by taking an ethological perspective, focusing on the constraints captivity places on animals' normal behavioural repertoires, and the effects these have on specific motivational systems. It then addresses the role of dysfunction, particularly the impact of chronic stress and impoverished environments on brain functioning. The book then moves on to explore how stereotypic behaviours can be tackled, once they have emerged, using diverse techniques from environmental enrichment to pharmaceutical intervention. It concludes by giving a new definition for 'stereotypic behaviour', and a discussion of future research directions.
This open access book summarizes the multi-disciplinary results of one of China’s main primatological research projects on the endemic Tibetan macaque (Macaca thibetana), which had continued for over 30 years, but which had never been reported on systematically. Dedicated to this exceptional Old World monkey, this book makes the work of Chinese primatologists on the social behavior, cooperation, culture, cognition, group dynamics, and emerging technologies in primate research accessible to the international scientific community. One of the most impressive Asian monkeys, and the largest member of its genus, the Tibetan macaque deserves to be better known. This volume goes a long way towards bringing this species into the spotlight with many excellent behavioral analyses from the field. - Frans de Waal, Professor of Psychology, Emory University, USA. Macaques matter. To understand primate patterns and trends, and to gain important insight into humanity, we need to augment and expand our engagement with the most successful and widespread primate genus aside from Homo. This volume focuses on the Tibetan macaque, a fascinating species with much to tell us about social behavior, physiology, complexity and the macaque knack for interfacing with humans. This book is doubly important for primatology in that beyond containing core information on this macaque species, it also reflects an effective integrated collaboration between Chinese scholars and a range of international colleagues—exactly the type of collaborative engagement primatology needs. This volume is a critical contribution to a global primatology. - Agustín Fuentes, Professor of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, USA. I have many fond memories of my association with Mt. Huangshan research beginning in 1983, when together with Professor Qishan Wang we established this site. It is such a beautiful place and I miss it. It is gratifying to see how far research has progressed since we began work there, becoming more internationalized and very much a collaborative endeavor under the long-term direction of Professor Jin-Hua Li and colleagues. This book highlights the increased interest in this species, representing a variety of disciplines ranging from macro aspects of behavior, cognition and sociality, to micro aspects of microbes, parasites and disease, authored by a group of renowned Chinese and international primatologists. I applaud their efforts and expect more interesting work to come from this site in the years ahead. - Kazuo Wada, Professor Emeritus, Kyoto University, Japan.
