Ben Garrod

Last updated

Dr Ben Garrod
Born (1982-01-29) 29 January 1982 (age 41)
Great Yarmouth, England
Alma mater Anglia Ruskin University
Royal Veterinary College
University College London
Known for
  • Secrets of Bones [1] [2]
  • Attenborough and the Giant Dinosaur [3]
Scientific career
Fields
  • Evolutionary Biologist
  • Primatologist
  • Conservationist
  • Broadcaster
Institutions University of East Anglia
British Broadcasting Corporation
University of Bristol
Anglia Ruskin University
Thesis Primates of the Caribbean : using historical-era introduction of monkeys in the Lesser Antilles to understand patterns of island evolution  (2017)
Doctoral advisor Helen Chatterjee
Website www.bengarrod.co.uk

Ben Garrod (born 29 January 1982) is an English evolutionary biologist, primatologist and broadcaster. He has been Professor of Evolutionary Biology and Science Engagement at the University of East Anglia since 2019. [4]

Contents

Early life

Garrod was born in Great Yarmouth, where he lived in the Elephant and Castle pub and attended East Norfolk Sixth Form College. As of 2014, his parents are stewards at Great Yarmouth and Caister Golf Club. [5]

Career and research

Academic and conservation work

Garrod attended Anglia Ruskin University, where he completed his BSc (Hons) in Animal Behaviour in 2005. [6] He completed an MSc in Wild Animal Biology at the Royal Veterinary College. [7] Garrod completed a doctorate at University College London and the Zoological Society of London. His thesis focused on the evolution of monkeys in tropical islands and was titled "Primates of the Caribbean". [8] He has published on primate pathology [9] and osteoarchaeology. [10]

Garrod spent several years in western Uganda working on the development and management of a leading field site for chimpanzee conservation with the Jane Goodall Institute, where among other things he was responsible for habituating wild chimpanzees. He has also worked in Southeast Asia for an orangutan conservation organisation, in Madagascar studying marine life, and in the Caribbean studying introduced monkeys. [11] [ citation needed ]

Garrod's institutional affiliations include being a Trustee for the UK Jane Goodall Institute; [12] Ambassador for the Norfolk Wildlife Trust; [13] Ambassador for Bristol Museum and Art Gallery; Patron of the Natural Sciences Collections Association (NatSCA); [14] Ambassador for the Marine Conservation Society; [15] and Fellow of the Linnean Society.

Garrod is a Professor of Evolutionary Biology and Science Engagement at the University of East Anglia. He is also a teaching fellow at Anglia Ruskin University.[ citation needed ]

Public engagement

Garrod has presented a series and several television shows, including Attenborough and the Giant Dinosaur [3] with David Attenborough, Baby Chimp Rescue, [2] and Springwatch , [2] in addition to two of his own series; Secrets of Bones and Secrets of Skin [1] on BBC Four. He has also presented numerous short films on the One Show. [16]

He has delivered a TEDx talk and is a regular speaker at conferences, public debates and scientific festivals, including the Cheltenham Science Festival. He also writes scientific articles for The Guardian [17] [18] [19] and The Conversation. [20] [21] [22]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chimpanzee</span> Great ape native to the forest and savannah of tropical Africa

The chimpanzee, also known as simply the chimp, is a species of great ape native to the forest and savannah of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed one. When its close relative the bonobo was more commonly known as the pygmy chimpanzee, this species was often called the common chimpanzee or the robust chimpanzee. The chimpanzee and the bonobo are the only species in the genus Pan. Evidence from fossils and DNA sequencing shows that Pan is a sister taxon to the human lineage and is humans' closest living relative. The chimpanzee is covered in coarse black hair, but has a bare face, fingers, toes, palms of the hands, and soles of the feet. It is larger and more robust than the bonobo, weighing 40–70 kg (88–154 lb) for males and 27–50 kg (60–110 lb) for females and standing 150 cm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Primate</span> Order of mammals

Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians. Primates arose 85–55 million years ago first from small terrestrial mammals, which adapted to living in the trees of tropical forests: many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging environment, including large brains, visual acuity, color vision, a shoulder girdle allowing a large degree of movement in the shoulder joint, and dextrous hands. Primates range in size from Madame Berthe's mouse lemur, which weighs 30 g (1 oz), to the eastern gorilla, weighing over 200 kg (440 lb). There are 376–524 species of living primates, depending on which classification is used. New primate species continue to be discovered: over 25 species were described in the 2000s, 36 in the 2010s, and three in the 2020s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane Goodall</span> English primatologist and anthropologist (born 1934)

Dame Jane Morris Goodall, formerly Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English primatologist and anthropologist. She is considered the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, after 60 years studying the social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees. Goodall first went to Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania to observe its chimpanzees in 1960.

The aquatic ape hypothesis (AAH), also referred to as aquatic ape theory (AAT) or the waterside hypothesis of human evolution, postulates that the ancestors of modern humans took a divergent evolutionary pathway from the other great apes by becoming adapted to a more aquatic habitat. While the hypothesis has some popularity with the lay public, it is generally ignored or classified as pseudoscience by anthropologists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Attenborough</span> British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926)

Sir David Frederick Attenborough is an English broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and author. He is best known for writing and presenting, in conjunction with the BBC Natural History Unit, the nine natural history documentary series forming the Life collection, a comprehensive survey of animal and plant life on Earth.

<i>Pan</i> (genus) Genus of African great apes

The genus Pan consists of two extant species: the chimpanzee and the bonobo. Taxonomically, these two ape species are collectively termed panins. The two species were formerly collectively called "chimpanzees" or "chimps"; if bonobos were recognized as a separate group at all, they were referred to as "pygmy chimpanzees". Together with humans, gorillas, and orangutans they are part of the family Hominidae. Native to sub-Saharan Africa, chimpanzees and bonobos are currently both found in the Congo jungle, while only the chimpanzee is also found further north in West Africa. Both species are listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and in 2017 the Convention on Migratory Species selected the chimpanzee for special protection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Primatology</span> Scientific study of primates

Primatology is the scientific study of primates. It is a diverse discipline at the boundary between mammalogy and anthropology, and researchers can be found in academic departments of anatomy, anthropology, biology, medicine, psychology, veterinary sciences and zoology, as well as in animal sanctuaries, biomedical research facilities, museums and zoos. Primatologists study both living and extinct primates in their natural habitats and in laboratories by conducting field studies and experiments in order to understand aspects of their evolution and behavior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great ape personhood</span> Extending personhood to nonhuman great apes

Great ape personhood is a movement to extend personhood and some legal protections to the non-human members of the great ape family: bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frans de Waal</span> Dutch primatologist and ethologist

Franciscus Bernardus Maria "Frans" de Waal is a Dutch primatologist and ethologist. He is the Charles Howard Candler Professor of Primate Behavior in the Department of Psychology at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, director of the Living Links Center at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center at Emory, and author of numerous books including Chimpanzee Politics (1982) and Our Inner Ape (2005). His research centers on primate social behavior, including conflict resolution, cooperation, inequity aversion, and food-sharing. He is a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monkeys and apes in space</span> Space travel by primates

Before humans went into space in the 1960s, several other animals were launched into space, including numerous other primates, so that scientists could investigate the biological effects of spaceflight. The United States launched flights containing primate passengers primarily between 1948 and 1961 with one flight in 1969 and one in 1985. France launched two monkey-carrying flights in 1967. The Soviet Union and Russia launched monkeys between 1983 and 1996. Most primates were anesthetized before lift-off.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robin Dunbar</span> British anthropologist and evolutionary psychologist

Robin Ian MacDonald Dunbar is a British anthropologist and evolutionary psychologist and a specialist in primate behaviour. He is currently head of the Social and Evolutionary Neuroscience Research Group in the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford. He is best known for formulating Dunbar's number, a measurement of the "cognitive limit to the number of individuals with whom any one person can maintain stable relationships".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gombe Stream National Park</span> National park in Tanzania

Gombe Stream National Park is a national park in Kigoma District of Kigoma Region in Tanzania, 16 km (10 mi) north of Kigoma, the capital of Kigoma Region. Established in 1968, it is one of the smallest national parks in Tanzania, with only 35 km2 (13.5 sq mi) of protected land along the hills of the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika. The terrain is distinguished by steep valleys, and the vegetation ranges from grassland to woodland to tropical rainforest. Accessible only by boat, the park is most famous as the location where Jane Goodall pioneered her behavioural research on the common chimpanzee populations. The Kasakela chimpanzee community, featured in several books and documentaries, lives in Gombe National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monkey World</span> Zoo in Dorset, England

The Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre is a 65-acre (26.3 ha) ape and monkey sanctuary and rescue centre near Wool, Dorset, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anecdotal cognitivism</span>

Anecdotal cognitivism is a method of research using anecdotal, and anthropomorphic evidence through the observation of animal behaviour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Animal testing on non-human primates</span> Experimentation using other primate animals

Experiments involving non-human primates (NHPs) include toxicity testing for medical and non-medical substances; studies of infectious disease, such as HIV and hepatitis; neurological studies; behavior and cognition; reproduction; genetics; and xenotransplantation. Around 65,000 NHPs are used every year in the United States, and around 7,000 across the European Union. Most are purpose-bred, while some are caught in the wild.

Monkey Day is an unofficial international holiday celebrated on December 14. The holiday was created and popularized in 2000 by controversial artists Casey Sorrow and Eric Millikin when they were art students at Michigan State University. Monkey Day celebrates monkeys and "all things simian", including other non-human primates such as apes, tarsiers, and lemurs. Monkey Day is celebrated worldwide and often also known as World Monkey Day and International Monkey Day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marc Bekoff</span> American biologist (born 1945)

Marc Bekoff is an American biologist, ethologist, behavioural ecologist and writer. He was a professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado Boulder for 32 years. He cofounded the Jane Goodall Institute of Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and he is Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Timothy Robert Birkhead is a British ornithologist. He has been Professor of Behaviour and Evolution at the University of Sheffield since 1976.

David Andrew Whiten, known as Andrew Whiten is a British zoologist and psychologist, Professor of Evolutionary and Developmental Psychology, and Professor Wardlaw Emeritus at University of St Andrews in Scotland. He is known for his research in social cognition, specifically on social learning, tradition and the evolution of culture, social Machiavellian intelligence, autism and imitation, as well as the behavioral ecology of sociality. In 1996, Whiten and his colleagues invented an artificial fruit that allowed to study learning in apes and humans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jess French</span> British television personality, veterinarian and author

Jess French is a British television personality, veterinarian and author. She is the presenter of a television programme called Minibeast Adventure with Jess which has aired on CBeebies. French is also a best-selling author of more than 20 books and a regular contributor to science and literary festivals such as Hay Festival, Edinburgh festival and Norwich Science Festival and printed press such as The Guardian, BBC Wildlife, The Week.

References

  1. 1 2 "BBC Four - Secrets of Bones". Bbc.co.uk. 7 February 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Ben Garrod at IMDb
  3. 1 2 "BBC One - Attenborough and the Giant Dinosaur". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  4. "UEA appoints Ben Garrod as Professor of Evolutionary Biology and Science Engagement". 30 January 2019.
  5. Coates, Liz (25 January 2014). "TV stardom beckons for Great Yarmouth 'bone man' Ben Garrod - Norfolk evolutionary biologist stars in new show Secrets of Bones". Great Yarmouth Mercury .
  6. "Alumni videos - ARU". aru.ac.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  7. "About Dr Ben Garrod, Evolutionary Biologist and Great Ape Conservationist". Natural World Safaris. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  8. Garrod's Profile Archived 2015-09-22 at the Wayback Machine on the Zoological Society of London ]
  9. Farrell, Milly; Rando, Carolyn; Garrod, Ben (1 April 2015). "Lessons from the Past: Metabolic Bone Disease in Historical Captive Primates". Int J Primatol. 36 (2): 398–411. doi:10.1007/s10764-015-9831-7. S2CID   14097890.(subscription required)
  10. Garrod, Ben; Roberts, Alice M.; Duhig, Corinne; Cox, Debby; McGrew, William (1 October 2015). "Burial, excavation, and preparation of primate skeletal material for morphological study". Primates. 56 (4): 311–316. doi:10.1007/s10329-015-0480-4. PMID   26245478. S2CID   27212088.(subscription required)
  11. "Dr Ben Garrod Biography - Natural World Safaris". www.naturalworldsafaris.com. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  12. "Staff and Board - Jane Goodall Institute UK". Janegoodall.org.uk. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  13. "2015-06-12 Sir David Attenborough celebra". Norfolk Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  14. "Our Patrons | Natural Sciences Collections Association". Natsca.org. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  15. "Ben Garrod". mcsuk.org. Archived from the original on 17 September 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  16. "BBC One - The One Show, Black Shuck". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  17. Garrod, Ben (17 January 2016). "Titanosaurs: the largest animals ever to walk the Earth". The Guardian.
  18. "Working in nature can provoke uplifting ideas". The Guardian. 23 July 2016.
  19. Garrod, Ben (28 February 2016). "No more monkey business: why primates should never be pets". The Guardian.
  20. Ben Garrod (15 July 2016). "A Philippines island has the world's greatest concentration of unique mammals – here's why". Theconversation.com. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  21. Ben Garrod (9 September 2016). "What to do about Liberia's island colony of abandoned lab chimps?". Theconversation.com. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  22. Ben Garrod (1 November 2016). "Chimp study shows how hanging out with friends makes life less stressful". Theconversation.com. Retrieved 27 February 2017.