Linda Marie Fedigan

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Linda Marie Fedigan, CM FRSC (born 1949) is a Canadian-based American academic, educator, and Canada Research Chair in Primatology and Bioanthropol at the University of Calgary, Alberta. In addition, Fedigan is also the Executive Editor of the American Journal of Primates and a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Prior to accepting her current position, Fedigan was a professor at the University of Alberta, teaching anthropology from 1974 until 2001. [1]

Contents

Education

Fedigan was born in Oklahoma and began her formal studies in anthropology at the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees. Originally, she had plans to become a cultural anthropologist but later decided to focus on primatology due to her interest in sociality. She earned a Ph.D in 1974 for her study of social roles in a transplanted troop of Japanese monkeys living on the Arashiyama West Primate Research Station at La Moca Ranch, Texas. [2] [3] [4]

Research

Fedigan's focus is on social structure, sex differences, reproduction, behavioural ecology and conservation of Costa Rica and Japanese monkeys. Fedigan was one of the first female primatologists who elected to study female life histories and male-female interactions. Past research projects include the Arashiyama West Primate Research Station, the Santa Rosa Primate Field Project and examinations of gender and science (descriptions included in this article). [5] [6]

The Arashiyama West-East Primate Project

Research on a group of Arashiyama Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) began near Kyoto, Japan in 1954. In the summer of 1966, the group naturally separated forming two troops and in 1972, one of the two troops was translocated to Texas for research and training of American and Japanese students. The troops were renamed Arashiyama West and East. In Texas, the troop of 150 macaques was given free range over a 42.4 ha enclosure of brushland. Fedigan was involved in this project in Texas from the time of translocation in 1972 until data collection ceased in 1996. From 1978 to 1979, she was Field Station Manager and spent over three years living with the macaques. Her research now focuses upon analysis of the data collected, in particular the reproductive and life history patterns in females. Male emigration, female kinship, inbreeding avoidance, the structure of group fission, friendship, and dominance and reproductive success are just a few of the ideas that were foreshadowed and/or influenced by the results from Arashiyama studies.

In 1991, Fedigan co-edited, with Pamela Asquith. The Monkeys of Arashiyama: 35 Years of Research in Japan and the West, SUNY Press. The work explores research on the Arashiyama Japanese macaques and Japanese and Western traditions in primate studies and reflects on how different cultural perspectives influence the manner in which the science of primatology is approached. [7]

The Santa Rosa Primate Field Project

In 1983, with the cooperation of the Costa Rican government, Fedigan established the Santa Rosa Primate Field Project with the objective of describing the behavioural ecology, conservation parameters and life histories of three primate species inhabiting the park - white-faced capuchins (Cebus imitator), mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata) and black-handed spider moneys (Ateles geoffroyi). The setting is Santa Rosa National Park which was established in 1970 and is located approximately 35 km northwest of Liberia, Costa Rica. The park consists of 108 square kilometres of land containing a mix of former pasture-land, dry deciduous forest and semi-evergreen forest. In addition to frequent censuses, Fedigan and her group of researchers have conducted intensive, longitudinal studies on several groups within the park, including life history data on selected female capuchins.

In 1998, Fedigan's work was the subject of a film produced by Omni Film Productions Ltd. entitled Costa Rican Monkeys. The film formed part of a series of recordings referred to as "Champions of the Wild" (Discovery Channel) focusing on endangered animals around the globe and the champions determined to save them. [8]

Her research resulted in her coauthoring a book entitled "The Complete Capuchin" which explores the lives of capuchin monkeys in relation to their lives in nature, including their physical, mental and social characteristics. In addition, the book provides information about how humans have viewed, used and studied these monkeys from ancient times to the present.

Gender and science

Regarding gender and science, Fedigan's interest began with how the gender of the scientist affects research on sex differences and moved to a broader focus on the role of gender in scientific disciplines. [9]

Fedigan has written numerous papers on the topic, including the role of women in models of human evolution, feminism and primatology, science and the successful female, and historical analyses of the effects of gender on changing views of life history research. She is also the first scholar to examine both the images of women in theories of human evolution and the role of women scientists in constructing these images.

In 1996, Fedigan co-hosted, with Shirley Strum, an international Wenner-Gren conference in Teresopolis, Brazil on "Changing Images of Primate Societies: The Role of Theory, Method and Gender." As a result of the conference, the two collaborated in 2000 in co-editing Primate Encounters: Models of Science, Gender and Society.

Honours and awards

On June 30, 2016, Fedigan was named a Member of the Order of Canada by Governor General David Johnston for "her contributions to advancing our understanding of the behaviour and society of several primate species and for her dedication as a mentor to the next generation of primatologists." [10] In 2016, she was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. [11]

Publications

Books and monographs

Related Research Articles

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

Primates is an order of mammals, which is further divided into the strepsirrhines, which include lemurs, galagos, and lorisids; and the haplorhines, which include tarsiers and simians. Primates arose 85–55 million years ago first from small terrestrial mammals, which adapted for life in tropical forests: many primate characteristics represent adaptations to the challenging environment among tree tops, including large brain sizes, binocular vision, color vision, vocalizations, shoulder girdles allowing a large degree of movement in the upper limbs, and opposable thumbs that enable better grasping and dexterity. 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 six in the 2020s.

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

Primatology is the scientific study of non-human 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">Crab-eating macaque</span> Species of monkey from Southeast Asia

The crab-eating macaque, also known as the long-tailed macaque or cynomolgus macaque, is a cercopithecine primate native to Southeast Asia. As a synanthropic species, the crab-eating macaque thrives near human settlements and in secondary forest. Crab-eating macaques are plastic in the attributes and roles assigned to them by humans, ranging from cultural perceptions as being smart and adaptive, to being sacred animals, being regarded as vermin and pests, and becoming resources in modern biomedical research. They have been described as a species on the edge, living on the edge of forests, rivers, and seas, at the edge of human settlements, and perhaps on the edge of rapid extinction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhesus macaque</span> Species of Old World monkey

The rhesus macaque, colloquially rhesus monkey, is a species of Old World monkey. There are between six and nine recognised subspecies that are split between two groups, the Chinese-derived and the Indian-derived. Generally brown or grey in colour, it is 47–53 cm (19–21 in) in length with a 20.7–22.9 cm (8.1–9.0 in) tail and weighs 5.3–7.7 kg (12–17 lb). It is native to South, Central, and Southeast Asia and has the widest geographic range of all non-human primates, occupying a great diversity of altitudes and a great variety of habitats, from grasslands to arid and forested areas, but also close to human settlements. Feral colonies are found in the United States, thought to be either released by humans or escapees after hurricanes destroyed zoo and wildlife park facilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japanese macaque</span> Only nonhuman primate in Japan

The Japanese macaque, also known as the snow monkey, is a terrestrial Old World monkey species that is native to Japan. Colloquially, they are referred to as "snow monkeys" because some live in areas where snow covers the ground for months each year – no other non-human primate lives farther north, nor in a colder climate. Individuals have brownish grey fur, pinkish-red faces, and short tails. Two subspecies are known.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panamanian white-faced capuchin</span> Species of primate

The Panamanian white-faced capuchin, also known as the Panamanian white-headed capuchin or Central American white-faced capuchin, is a medium-sized New World monkey of the family Cebidae, subfamily Cebinae. Native to the forests of Central America, the white-faced capuchin is important to rainforest ecology for its role in dispersing seeds and pollen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capuchin monkey</span> Subfamily of New World monkeys

The capuchin monkeys are New World monkeys of the subfamily Cebinae. They are readily identified as the "organ grinder" monkey, and have been used in many movies and television shows. The range of capuchin monkeys includes some tropical forests in Central America and South America as far south as northern Argentina. In Central America, where they are called white-faced monkeys ("carablanca"), they usually occupy the wet lowland forests on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica and Panama and deciduous dry forest on the Pacific coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wedge-capped capuchin</span> Species of New World monkey

The wedge-capped capuchin or Guianan weeper capuchin is a capuchin monkey from South America. It is found in northern Brazil, Guyana and Venezuela. Cebus olivaceus is known to dwell in tall, primary forest and travel over long distances during the day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iwatayama Monkey Park</span> Park in Kyoto

Iwatayama Monkey Park is a commercial park located in Arashiyama in Kyoto, Japan. The park is on Mt Arashiyama, on the opposite side of the Ōi River as the train station. It is inhabited by a troop of over 120 Japanese macaque monkeys. The animals are wild but can be fed by the staff and visitors only with food purchased at the site.

Junichiro Itani was a Japanese anthropologist who served as a professor emeritus at Kyoto University and as president of the Primate Society of Japan. He is considered a founder of the discipline of Japanese primatology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern pig-tailed macaque</span> Species of macaque

The southern pig-tailed macaque, also known as the Sundaland pig-tailed macaque and the Sunda pig-tailed macaque, is a medium-sized macaque that lives in Sundaland, southern Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. It is known locally as beruk.

Allomothering, allomaternal infant care/handling, or non-maternal infant care/handling is performed by any group member other than the mother. Alloparental care is provided by group members other than the genetic father or the mother and thus is distinguished from parental care. Both are widespread phenomena among social insects, birds and mammals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agustín Fuentes</span> Primatologist and biological anthropologist

Agustín Fuentes is an American primatologist and biological anthropologist at Princeton University and formerly the chair of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Notre Dame. His work focuses largely on human and non-human primate interaction, pathogen transfer, communication, cooperation, and human social evolution.

The Maderas Rainforest Conservancy is a nonprofit organization which was established to promote the conservation, protection, and management of Mesoamerican forests and animal and plant biodiversity through education, reforestation, preservation, and by working with local communities, and national and international institutions and universities.

Basic requirements of individual primates include obtaining food, avoiding predators, and reproducing. When these basic requirements are best pursued in the company of others, groups will form. Multi-male groups, also known as multi-male/multi-female, are a type of social organization where the group contains more than one adult male, more than one adult female, and offspring. This structure is characterized by group living, polygynandrous, and strong reproductive competition among males, which could result in an uneven division of male reproductive success. There are no stable heterosexual bonds as both males and females have a number of different mates. Multi-male groups are common among semi-terrestrial primates, like savanna baboons, macques, colobus and some New World monkeys.

Ethnoprimatology is the study of human and non-human primate interactions. Ethnoprimatology is a discourse aimed at an anthropological holistic understanding of non-human primates. Human cultures worldwide have deep-rooted, primordial connections with non-human primates. Non-human primates play key roles in creation stories of many societies and often depict the direct relationship between non-human primates and humans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gracile capuchin monkey</span> Genus of mammals belonging to the capuchin and squirrel monkey family of primates

Gracile capuchin monkeys are capuchin monkeys in the genus Cebus. At one time all capuchin monkeys were included within the genus Cebus. In 2011, Jessica Lynch Alfaro et al. proposed splitting the genus between the robust capuchin monkeys, such as the tufted capuchin, and the gracile capuchins. The gracile capuchins retain the genus name Cebus, while the robust species have been transferred to Sapajus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crested capuchin</span> Species of New World monkey

The crested capuchin or robust tufted capuchin is a species of robust capuchin monkey. It is endemic to Brazil. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the black capuchin but is now considered by some to be a separate species.

Lynne A. Isbell is an American ethologist and primatologist, professor of anthropology at the University of California, Davis.

Primate archaeology is a field of research established in 2008 that combines research interests and foci from primatology and archaeology. The main aim of primate archaeology is to study behavior of extant and extinct primates and the associated material records. The discipline attempts to move beyond archaeology's anthropocentric perspective by placing the focus on both past and present primate tool use.

References

  1. Profile, antharky.ucalgary.ca. Accessed April 7, 2024.
  2. https://www.lindafedigan.ca/ [ bare URL ]
  3. Fedigan, Linda Marie (2022). "My path to primatology: Some stories from the field". Primates. 63 (4): 313–325. doi:10.1007/s10329-022-00994-2. PMC   9244351 . PMID   35767126.
  4. Fedigan, Linda Marie (2020). "Reflections of an Imperfect Anthropologist". Annual Review of Anthropology. 49: 1–12. doi:10.1146/annurev-anthro-121819-093903.
  5. https://www.lindafedigan.ca/research [ bare URL ]
  6. Fedigan, Linda Marie (2020). "Reflections of an Imperfect Anthropologist". Annual Review of Anthropology. 49: 1–12. doi:10.1146/annurev-anthro-121819-093903.
  7. https://sunypress.edu/Books/T/The-Monkeys-of-Arashiyama2 [ bare URL ]
  8. "Champions of the Wild: Costa Rican Monkeys".
  9. https://www.lindafedigan.ca/research [ bare URL ]
  10. Globe and Mail Staff (June 30, 2016). "Canada's Honour Roll". Globe and Mail.
  11. "Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada: Achievements" . Retrieved April 7, 2024.