"For decades I've followed the detailed and groundbreaking classic research on baboons by biological anthropologist Dr. Shirley Strum, and I was thrilled to learn of her new highly acclaimed book Echoes of Our Origins: Baboons, Humans, and Nature in which she not only summarizes the results of her and others' long-term studies but also dispels myths about these highly adaptive primates."
"Marc Bekoff: Why did you write Echoes of Our Origins? Shirley Strum: I have had a long career, over 5 decades, watching baboons. A lot has changed during that time: me, baboons, science, and nature. My book gives a very different take on baboons than what we imagined and what the media feeds us. I hope to change the baboons' recent bad reputation."
Decades of long-term research reveal baboons as socially sophisticated primates that employ negotiation, collaboration, and resilience rather than simple aggression. Observational evidence counters stereotypes and uninformed slurs that portray baboons as unintelligent and violently aggressive. Female baboons play central roles in group protection and social stability. Understanding complex nonverbal intelligence requires extended patient observation and openness to behavioral nuance. The research emphasizes the limitations of rigid scientific frameworks and advocates rethinking evolutionary assumptions. Adaptive strategies displayed by baboons illuminate pathways of social organization and provide comparative insights relevant to human evolution and the study of social complexity across species.
Read at Psychology Today
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]