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Colobine monkeys have a unique digestive system, analogous to that of ruminants, which allows them to exploit foliage as a food source. This gives them a niche in Old World forests where they are often the only abundant medium-sized arboreal folivorous mammal. From a possible Miocene origin, Colobine monkeys have radiated into a wide variety of forms inhabiting a range of tropical woodlands in Africa and Asia. Most of the extant species have been subject to long term field studies, but until Colobine Monkeys: Their Ecology, Behaviour and Evolution, no synthesis of work on this group has been available. The central theme is that of adaptive radiation, showing how the special features of Colobine anatomy interacted with a range of ecosystems to produce the distinctive species of today. Colobine Monkeys: Their Ecology, Behaviour and Evolution also discusses parallels with other mammalian groups.
Please note that the publisher has cancelled plans for a paperback version.
Preface
1. What are the colobines? John Oates and Glyn Davies
2. Evolutionary history of the colobines in a paleoenvironmental perspective Eric Delson
3. The diversity of living colobines John Oates, Glyn Davies and Eric Delson
4. The natural history of African colobines John Oates
5. The natural history of Asian colobines Elizabeth Bennett and Glyn Davies
6. Functional morphology of colobine teeth Peter Lucas and Mark Teaford
7. Functional morphology of the gastro-intestinal tract David Chivers
8. Digestive physiology Robin Kay and Glyn Davies
9. Colobine food preferences and plant chemistry Peter Waterman and Karen Kool
10. Colobine populations Glyn Davies
11. Colobine monkey society Paul Newton and Robin Dunbar
12. Conclusions: past, present and future John Oates and Glyn Davies
References
Index
"This well-integrated set of papers demonstrates how far we have travelled toward understanding the interactions among diet, anatomy, demographics and social behavior [in Colobines]."
- Science
" [...] a genuine exemplar for the primatological literature of edited volumes, and it is a most comprehensive and synthetic account of these animals [...] Excellent accounts of the evolutionary history of their diversity and natural history, in-depth chapters on their unique digestive system (including their teeth), their population dynamics and social behavior, and, along with the prospects of their future conservation, make this an extremely valuable work for anyone interested in primates, mammalian evolutionary biology, and conservation. Highly recommended."
- Choice
" [...] a very welcome addition to the primate literature. Colobine Monkeys is an excellent book, and true to its subtitle it does cover ecology, behavior, and evolutionary history with a series of review papers that should make any primatologist who has worked with colobines very satisfied [...] a valuable book that belongs on every primatologist's shelf."
- Craig B. Stanford, American Journal of Primatology
