Nonhuman Primate Behavior: A Note on Recent Research

Recent publications dealing with nonhuman primate social behavior suggest that Service's discussion of that topic in The Hunters is in need of extensive revision, and that Damas's (AA 71:315–316) recently expressed admiration for the discussion is unfortunate. Short paragraphs based on readily available references summarize findings that have appeared since The Hunters was published and indicate where Service's generalizations concerning species specific social organization, sexual seasonality, dominance orders, and territoriality are in greatest need of updating. [Primate social behavior; hunter-gatherers; ecological studies]