Primatology is the study of
primates. It is a branch of
biology and is closely related to
physical anthropology, which is the primatology of
genus homo[?], especially
homo sapiens. The fields cross over in the study of the
hominids, which includes all ancestors of man and the other
African Apes[?].
Modern primatology is an extremely diverse science. It ranges from anatomical studies of primate ancestors and field studies of primates in their natural habitat, to experiments in animal psychology[?] and ape language[?]. It has cast an immense amount of light on basic human behaviors and ancient ancestry of these behaviors.
Key 20th-century primatologists include:
as well as other key researcers such as
- Karen Strier
- Frans de Waal
- Sherwood Washburn
and the multitude of others who have given their most important contributions to the science.