Gorilla Society: Conflict, Compromise, and Cooperation Between the Sexes - Tapa dura

"A robust contribution to the study of how evolution of survival, mating, and rearing strategies interacts with physical and social environments."-Choice "Gorilla Society is a lucid, fascinating, compelling, and comprehensive synthesis of decades of ecological and behavioral research not only of gorillas but also of apes and monkeys in general. The analysis of the complex evolutionary forces that shape a society is superb. It will provide insight and direction to all future primate field studies."-George B. Schaller, Wildlife Conservation Society "A first-rate source for anyone wanting a broad overview of what topics are currently being explored by biologists in this field. The book is well worth the price, and I strongly recommend it to academics and anyone else who is genuiniely interested in learning more about these magnificent animals and what we can do to conserve them for future generations."--F. Blake Morton "Integrative and Comparative Biology " ""Gorilla Society" is a lucid, fascinating, compelling, and comprehensive synthesis of decades of ecological and behavioral research not only of gorillas but also of apes and monkeys in general. The analysis of the complex evolutionary forces that shape a society is superb. It will provide insight and direction to all future primate field studies."--George B. Schaller, Wildlife Conservation Society 0; "Gorilla Society" is a lucid, fascinating, compelling, and comprehensive synthesis of decades of ecological and behavioral research not only of gorillas but also of apes and monkeys in general. The analysis of the complex evolutionary forces that shape a society is superb. It will provide insight and direction to all future primate field studies.1;2;George B. Schaller, Wildlife Conservation Society

Societies develop as a result of the interactions of individuals as they compete and cooperate with one another in the evolutionary struggle to survive and reproduce successfully. Gorilla society is arranged according to the different and sometimes conflicting evolutionary goals of the sexes. In seeking to understand why gorilla society exists as it does, Alexander H. Harcourt and Kelly J. Stewart bring together extensive data on wild gorillas, collected over decades by numerous researchers working in diverse habitats across Africa, to illustrate how the social system of gorillas has evolved and endured. "Gorilla Society" introduces recent theories explaining primate societies; describes gorilla life history, ecology, and social systems; and explores both sexes' evolutionary strategies of survival and reproduction. With a focus on the future, Harcourt and Stewart conclude with suggestions for research and conservation. An exemplary work of socioecology from two of the world's best-known gorilla biologists, "Gorilla Society" will be a landmark study on a par with the work of George Schaller - a synthesis of existing research on these remarkable animals and the societies in which they live.