Primatology - Diploma

This course is designed to introduce students to the primates of the world, their evolution, their make-up and habitats. It aims to equip participants with a solid grounding in primate studies and is favourably received by the anthropology department of Oxford Brookes University.

Course Modules

• Mammals and their characteristics
• The classification of the primates
• The distinction between New World and Old World primates
• The distribution of the primates
• The senses and how they are used
• The diet of primates
• Introduction to primate behaviour

• The gibbons and their characteristics
• Conservation issues related to gibbons
• Diet
• Reproduction
• Communication between gibbons
• The orang utan and its behaviour, including group dynamics

• The great apes - chimpanzees and gorillas
• The distribution of the different subspecies of gorillas and chimpanzees
• Locomotion
• Habitat and diet
• Group dynamics and social behaviour, including communication between individuals
• Reproduction
• Protection, captivity and conservation
• Cultural transmission and learning in chimpanzees

• The location of the old world and distribution of the monkeys
• The anatomical characteristics of old world monkeys
• An introduction to some of the old world monkeys ; Cercopithecinae, macaques, baboons, guenons, Colobinae, langurs

• The location of the new world and distribution of the monkeys
• The differences between Old and New World monkeys and their characteristics
• The Callitrichidae and the Cebidae groups and the species within them, for example marmosets, tamarinds, capuchins
• Howler monkeys and their communication

6. Lorises, Lemurs and Tarsiers

• An introduction to the prosimians
• The lorises and bushbabies and their characteristics
• The lemurs and their unique characteristics due to evolution in isolation from other primates
• The tarsiers and their characteristics
• The tree-shrews and their similarities to primates