In this book, the editors present a view of the socioecology of primates and cetaceans in a comparative perspective to elucidate the social evolution of highly intellectual mammals in terrestrial and aquatic environments. Despite obvious differences in morphology and eco-physiology, there are many cases of comparable, sometimes strikingly similar patterns of sociobehavioral complexity. A number of long-term field studies have accumulated a substantial amount of data on the life history of various taxa, foraging ecology, social and sexual relationships, demography, and various patterns of behavior: from dynamic fission-fusion to long-term stable societies; from male-bonded to bisexually-bonded to matrilineal groups.

Primatologists and cetologists have come together to provide four evolutionary themes: (1) social complexity and behavioral plasticity, (2) life history strategies and social evolution, (3) the interface between behavior, demography, and conservation, and (4) selected topics in comparative behavior. These comparisons of taxa that are evolutionarily distant but live in comparable complex sociocognitive environments boost our appreciation of their sophisticated mammalian societies and can advance our understanding of the ecological factors that have shaped their social evolution. This knowledge also facilitates a better understanding of the day-to-day challenges these animals face in the human-dominated world and may improve the capacity and effectiveness of our conservation efforts.

Contenu
Part 1: Social Ecology.- 1 How ecological conditions affect the abundance and social organization of folivorous monkeys.- 2 Dusky dolphins: Flexibility in foraging and social strategies.- 3 Socioecological flexibility of gorillas and chimpanzees.- 4 You are what you eat: Foraging specializations and their influence on the social organization and behaviour of killer whales.- 5 Japanese macaques: Habitat-driven divergence in social dynamics.- 6 Shark Bay bottlenose dolphins: A case study for defining and measuring sociality.- Part 2: Life History and Social Evolution.- 7 Female coexistence and competition in ringtailed lemurs: A review of a long-term study at Berenty, Madagascar.- 8 Social structure and life history of bottlenose dolphins near Sarasota Bay, Florida: Insights from four decades and five generations.- 9 Life history tactics in monkeys and apes: Focus on female dispersal species.- 10 Social conflict management in primates: Is there a case for dolphins?.- 11 Evolution of small-group territoriality in gibbons.- Part 3: Demography, Genetics, and Issues in Conservation.- 12 Northern muriqui monkeys: Behavior, demography, and conservation.- 13 Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins: A demographic perspective of a threatened species.- 14 Mountain gorillas: A shifting demographic landscape.- 15 Population genetics in the conservation of cetaceans and primates.- 16 Eco-toxicants: A growing global threat.- Part 4: Selected Topics in Comparative Behavior.- 17 Observing and quantifying cetacean behavior in the wild: Current problems, limitations and future directions.- 18 Social network analysis: Applications to primate and cetacean societies.- 19 Social touch in apes and dolphins.- 20 Non-conceptive sexual interactions in monkeys, apes, and toothed whales.- 21 A mix of species: Associations of heterospecifics among primates and dolphins.- BM Index.