"This book is a broad synthesis of new world monkey evolution, integrating their unique evolutionary story into the bigger picture of primate evolution and Amazon biodiversity. Capsule For more than 30 million years, New World monkeys have inhabited the forests of South and Central America. Whether these primates originally came from Africa by rafting across the Atlantic or crossing overland from North America, they soon flourished. This book tells the story of these New World monkeys. Integrating data from fossil and living animals, it explores the evolution of the three major New World monkey lineages as well as how they fit into the broader story of primate evolution and Amazon biodiversity. After providing readers with necessary background in primate taxonomy and systematics, Rosenberger shows that the notion of adaptive zones is central to our understanding of primate evolution. The idea of adaptive zones can explain how radiations evolve, morphological adaptations appear, and communities form. From here, Rosenberger synthesizes what is known about New World monkeys' unique ecological adaptations, including those involving feeding and locomotion, as well as their social behaviour. The book's concluding chapters explore theories of how primates first arrived in South America and what their future looks like given the threat of extinction. Biography Internal Use Only Alfred L. Rosenberger is Professor Emeritus of Biological Anthropology at Brooklyn College. An expert on the origin and evolution of New World Monkeys, Rosenberger has contributed numerous articles in edited volumes and his work is published in journals such as Nature, Journal of Human Evolution and American Journal of Primatology . Audience The audience for this book is scholars and graduate students in biological/physical anthropolog and primatology, and to a lesser extent conservation biology, evolutionary biology, and behavioral ecology . Rationale - no copy text Other Relevant Info - no copy text"--.

• Cover
• Contents
• List of Illustrations
• Preface
• CHAPTER 1. What Is a New World Monkey?
  • What is a monkey?
  • What is a platyrrhine?
  • Platyrrhines and catarrhines
  • Platyrrhine taxonomy
  • 20 million years of evolution: 16 genera of extant playrrhine primates
• CHAPTER 2. Diverse Lifestyles
  • Predatory frugivores: Family Cebidae
  • Fruit huskers and seed eaters: Family Pitheciidae
  • Prehensile-tailed frugivore-folivores: Family Atelidae
• CHAPTER 3. What’s In a Name?
  • A new fossil gets a title
  • Names can reflect evolutionary hypotheses
  • Changing ideas can result in name changes
• CHAPTER 4. Evolutionary Models
  • How do diverse genera coexist in one patch of forest?: the Ecophylogenetic Hypothesis
  • DNA and anatomy: molecules and morphology
  • Cebines and callitrichines share a unique common ancestor
  • Chasing monkeys: synthesizing behavior, ecology, and morphology
  • The platyrrhine Tree of Life
• CHAPTER 5. How to Eat like a Monkey
  • Different teeth for different foods
  • What do they eat?
  • Secondary food preferences
  • Surviving preferred-food scarcity
  • Gouging tree bark to eat the tree gum
  • Incisors are key to fruit eating
  • Who are the leaf eaters?
• CHAPTER 6. Arboreal Acrobats
  • Locomotor types: clingers, climbers, leapers, and more
  • Feet and hands tell the story of platyrrhine evolution
  • Hanging, clambering, and locomoting with a prehensile tail
  • Platyrrhines are the only primates that evolved grasping tails
  • Tails for balancing, embracing, and coiling for social bonding
• CHAPTER 7. Many Kinds of Platyrrhine Brains
  • Studying brain size and shape
  • Brain-to-body-size relationships
  • The monkey stole my keys: intelligence and dexterity are tightly correlated
  • Fingertips, precision grips, and tool use
  • The sensorimotor strip in the brain controls tail use
  • Color Plates
  • Evolution of the brain in platyrrhines is shaped by phylogeny, ecology, and social behavior
• CHAPTER 8. The Varieties and Means of Social Organization
  • A day in the life of a platyrrhine
  • Communicating through visual displays
  • Tail-twining in Titi and Owl Monkeys as tactile communication
  • Vocalizing with roars and duets
  • Sending scent signals
  • The odoriferous callitrichines
  • Foraging parties
  • Capuchin gestural language
  • An evolutionary model of platyrrhine sociality
• CHAPTER 9. 20 Million Years: Every Fossil Tells a Story
  • Linking a fossil with a living monkey: the Long-Lineage Hypothesis
  • The La Venta fossils look like modern monkeys
  • Fossil evidence for longevity with little change
  • A 12–14-million-year-old Owl Monkey fossil
  • Fossils that tell us where they once lived, what they ate, and more
  • The mystery of fossils found on Caribbean islands
  • Fossils prior to 20 million years ago: more questions than answers
• CHAPTER 10. South America Was Once an Island: How Did Platyrrhine Ancestors Get There?
  • The Americas Scenario
  • The Transatlantic Scenario
  • Calculating the likelihood of the Transatlantic Scenario
• CHAPTER 11. After 20 Million Years of Existence, New World Monkeys Face Extinction
  • Not only species, but entire evolutionary streams are in peril
  • The Atlantic Forest, a biodiversity hotspot, is being decimated
  • Conservation efforts: Golden Lion Tamarin Project and Muriqui Project of Caratinga
  • All that is being lost can never be recovered
• Acknowledgments
• Glossary of Terms
• Recommended Reading
• References
• Index