Prey animals must somehow try to avoid being eaten by their predators while going about the business of living their lives. Far from being “sitting ducks,” they have responded to predation by evolving numerous anti-predator strategies within the constraints of habitat, activity cycle, body shape and body size. Primates are no different from other prey animals in this regard, but some of their anti-predator strategies may be unique among mammals because of their largely arboreal niche. Professor Isbell will present some of her own research on primates that investigates how relationships with their predators shaped their evolution and behavior, while also drawing inferences about how predators may have influenced certain aspects of our own human behavior.
Suggested reading: The Fruit, the Tree, and the Serpent: Why We See So Well, Lynne A. Isbell, Harvard U. Press