From galagos to gorillas, the primates of western Uganda comprise a very di verse collection of species. Western Uganda has a long history of primatological research extending back to the publications of the Uganda Virus Institute in 1947 and even to the notable first encounters of Count Beringe with moun tain gorillas in 1913. Many forested areas of Uganda (Figure i) have been the focus of research continuously since 1970, and thus western Uganda has a cen tral place in primatology that it maintains to the present day. In this book, we present a series of new, unpublished scientific accounts of a selection of the species in the region, each chapter focusing on one or more particular charac teristics of the species concerned. The book falls naturally into four sections. First, we introduce the primates of western Uganda, with a chapter on their tax onomy. We have left authors to follow the taxonomic terminology with which they are most comfortable, but present this first chapter to reflect recent devel opments in the understanding of taxonomic relationships among the Ugandan primates. Second, we present a section with an ecological focus, followed by a collection of chapters on behavior and physiology. Finally the focus shifts to conservation. Chimpanzees and gorillas have always attracted a lot of interest both among the general public and among researchers; consequently, this interest is reflected in the present volume.
Written by an international array of primatologists, this volume provides a series of scientific accounts with topics that range from taxonomy and biogeography to ecology, behavior and physiology, and ultimately, to conservation. The species studied range from nocturnal strepsirrhines to chimpanzees and mountain gorillas. Every study is new, published here for the first time. Together they provide a collection of fresh discoveries and insights, and this book reflects both current patterns of reseach and the diversity of the primates of western Uganda.
Aus den Rezensionen:
"West-Uganda hat in der primatologischen Forschung eine-Iange Tradition aufzuweisen, beginnend mit den ersten Begegnungen des Hauptmanns Robert von Beringe mit den Berggorillas, den Veröffentlichungen des Uganda Virus Institute und einer kontinuierlichen Forschung seit 1970 in den Wäldern des westlichen Uganda. In diesem Band sind ausschließlich unpublizierte, neue wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse über die Primaten dieser Region zusammengefasst. ? Das Buch ? gibt ? eine gute Übersicht zur aktuellen primatologischen Forschung in Uganda und stellt die Diversität der Primaten West-Ugandas vor." (R. GERSTMEIER, in: Entomofauna, 2007, Vol. 28, Issue 10. S. 122 f.)
