Primate Adaptation and Evolution

Primate Adaptation and Evolution, 4th Edition, offers undergraduate and graduate students a rigorous foundation in nonhuman primate biology and human origins. Authors John G. Fleagle, Andrea L. Baden, and Christopher C. Gilbert present a systematic investigation into the functional ecology, physical adaptation, and paleontology of living and fossil species.

The material connects comparative anatomical structures with behavioral patterns across prosimians, platyrrhines, catarrhines, and hominins. Readers examine empirical data on primate physiology, genetics, life history, and dispersal patterns alongside updated stable isotope research. Paleontological sections trace early primate origins, highlighting recent fossil discoveries that clarify primitive catarrhine and platyrrhine relationships across geological epochs.

Honored with the 2026 Textbook and Academic Authors Association McGuffey Longevity Award, this 466-page volume published by Academic Press incorporates updated evolutionary trees and revised taxonomy. The text provides structured material for university instruction in physical anthropology, primatology, evolutionary biology, and paleontology.