BBC/Discovery: Chimpanzees Book

Chimpanzees, with their family and community life, group politics, and manual abilities, fascinate humans and provide up with many clues to our own evolution. In captivity, some chimpanzees have been taught to communicate using sign language or symbols. Such achievements, however, are little more than tricks compared to the remarkable skills they show in their own wild environment. Chimpanzees explores the lives of the chimpanzees and describes the differences between two species—the common chimpanzee and the pygmy chimpanzee, also known as the bonobo. The chapters cover: the daily life of chimpanzees, traveling, foraging, and socializing in their forest habitat; the stages of a young chimpanzee's development; the importance of experience in successful motherhood; the controlling hierarchy of male and female behavior, particularly in mating strategies; how chimpanzees use tools to solve problems of daily life; how they work as a team for hunting and protection; and how they use their social intelligence. With its lively narrative style, attractive design, and appealing photographs Chimpanzees informs and delights the reader.

The intriguing world of our closest animal cousins, the chimpanzees, is explored in this richly detailed text and collection of superb photographs. From the intricacies of social organization and mating strategies to the making and using of tools, Chimpanzees builds a lively picture of the lives of these remarkable creatures. Author Tamsin Constable uses the latest research, new case studies, and her own observations of their everyday activities and interactions to provide this account. Packed with fascinating facts and extraordinary photographs, thisbook is one of three titles in a series about our primate relatives.