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Structural and functional organization in living organisms relies on their communication systems, which permanently carry information to the cells within the organism and govern their entire behavior from simple actions to complex behaviors. Rhesus monkeys are one of the animal species most commonly used in biomedical research due to their phylogenetic closeness to humans. Also, the social structure and behavior found in these monkeys are very similar to those of humans, and this makes them an excellent comparative and evolutionary model of study mainly for their importance in the construction, structure and maintenance of social groups. This book is a compilation of different research works that attempt to understand the underlying mechanisms involved in the expression of characteristic behaviors in the primate order, and the authors hope to unify both the biological and social sciences.

Foreword by Phillip V. TobiasThe introduction of rhesus macaques to Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico in 1938, and the subsequent development of the CPRC for biomedical research, continues its long history of stimulating studies in physical anthropology. The CPRC monkey colonies, and the precise demographic data on the derived skeletal collection in the Center's Laboratory of Primate Morphology and Genetics (LPMG), provide rare opportunities for morphological, developmental, functional, genetic, and behavioral studies across the life span of rhesus macaques as a species, and as a primate model for humans. The book grows out of a symposium Wang is organizing for the 78th annual meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists to be held in April 2009. This symposium will highlight recent and ongoing research in, or related to, physical anthropology, and reveal the numerous research opportunities that still exist at this unusual rhesus facility. Following an initial historical review of CPRC and its research activities, this book will emphasize recent and current researches on growth, function, genetics, pathology, aging, and behavior, and the impact of these researches on our understanding of rhesus and human morphology, development, genetics, and behavior. Fourteen researchers will present recent and current studies on morphology, genetics, and behavior, with relevance to primate and human growth, health, and evolution. The book will include not only papers presented in the symposium, but also papers from individuals who could not present their work at the meeting due to limitations in the maximum number (14) of permitted speakers.

Judged by population size and distribution, homo sapiens are clearly the most successful primates. A close second, however, would be rhesus macaques, who have adapted to—and thrived in—such diverse environments as mountain forests, dry grasslands, and urban sprawl. Scientists have spent countless hours studying these opportunistic monkeys, but rhesus macaques have long been overshadowed in the public eye by the great apes, who, because of their greater intelligence, are naturally assumed to have more to teach us, both about other primates and about humans as well. Dario Maestripieri thinks it is high time we shelve that misperception, and with Macachiavellian Intelligence he gives rhesus macaques their rightful turn in the spotlight. The product of more than twenty years studying these fascinating creatures, Macachiavellian Intelligence caricatures a society that is as much human as monkey, with hierarchies and power struggles that would impress Machiavelli himself. High-status macaques, for instance, maintain their rank through deft uses of violence and manipulation, while altruism is almost unknown and relationships are perpetually subject to the cruel laws of the market. Throughout this eye-opening account, Maestripieri weds his thorough knowledge of macaque behavior to his abiding fascination with human society and motivations. The result is a book unlike any other, one that draws on economics as much as evolutionary biology, politics as much as primatology. Rife with unexpected connections and peppered with fascinating anecdotes, Macachiavellian Intelligence has as much to teach us about humans as it does about macaques, presenting a wry, rational, and wholly surprising view of our humanity as seen through the monkey in the mirror.

This volume presents a broad spectrum of research on the Cayo Santiago macaques, a unique free-ranging colony of rhesus macaques in Puerto Rico. It includes thirteen scientific studies on the behavior and biology of the Cayo Santiago macaques, as well as a detailed history of the colony and a complete bibliography of over 260 scientific publications based on work at Cayo Santiago from 1938 through 1984. The chapters represent examples of both short- and long-term research conducted on the island over the past several years. Some are reviews, providing a synopsis of complex longitudinal studies of behavior, vocal communication, functional morphology, genetics, and population dynamics. Others document the results of opportunistic studies of behavior or biological surveys. The chapters cover a broad range of topics, but all share a common dependence on the detailed life history and genealogical data which make the Cayo Santiago macaque colony an important international research resource.Richard G. Rawlins is Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Director of the Primate In Vitro Fertilization Laboratory, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago.Matt J. Kessler is Director of Veterinary Services, Caribbean Primate Research Center, University of Puerto Rico, School of Medicine.