Alison Jolly
Encyclopedia
Alison Jolly is a primatologist
, known for her studies of lemur
biology. She has written several books for both popular and scientific audiences and conducted extensive fieldwork on Lemurs in Madagascar
, primarily at the Berenty Reserve
, a small private reserve of gallery forest set in the semi-arid spiny desert area in the far south of Madagascar
.
She holds a BA from Cornell University
, and a PhD from Yale University
; she has been a researcher at the New York Zoological Society, Cambridge University, University of Sussex
, Rockefeller University
, and Princeton University
; she is currently a Visiting Scientist at the University of Sussex
.
Under her maiden name, Alison Bishop, she first published "Control of the hand in lower primates" in 1962. Jolly began studying lemur behavior at Berenty
in 1963. Since 1990 she has returned for every birthing season to carry out research assisted by student volunteers. She has focused on ring-tailed lemur demography, ranging, and especially inter-troop and territorial behavior, in the context of the fivefold difference in population density from front to back of the reserve.
Her scientific books include Lemur Behavior: A Madagascar Field Study and Lucy’s Legacy: Sex and Intelligence in Human Evolution. Her non-technical works include Madagascar: A World out of Time and Lords & Lemurs: Mad Scientists, Kings With Spears, and the Survival of Diversity in Madagascar. She has also written numerous articles for consumer magazines and scientific journals.
In June 2006, a new species of mouse lemur
, Microcebus jollyae, was named in her honor.
Primate
A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
, known for her studies of lemur
Lemur
Lemurs are a clade of strepsirrhine primates endemic to the island of Madagascar. They are named after the lemures of Roman mythology due to the ghostly vocalizations, reflective eyes, and the nocturnal habits of some species...
biology. She has written several books for both popular and scientific audiences and conducted extensive fieldwork on Lemurs in Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, primarily at the Berenty Reserve
Berenty Reserve
Berenty Reserve is a small private reserve of gallery forest along the Mandrake river, set in the semi-arid spiny forest ecoregion of the far south of Madagascar. For more than three decades the primatologist Alison Jolly , researchers and students have visited Berenty to conduct fieldwork on lemurs...
, a small private reserve of gallery forest set in the semi-arid spiny desert area in the far south of Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
.
She holds a BA from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, and a PhD from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
; she has been a researcher at the New York Zoological Society, Cambridge University, University of Sussex
University of Sussex
The University of Sussex is an English public research university situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, within the city of Brighton and Hove. The University received its Royal Charter in August 1961....
, Rockefeller University
Rockefeller University
The Rockefeller University is a private university offering postgraduate and postdoctoral education. It has a strong concentration in the biological sciences. It is also known for producing numerous Nobel laureates...
, and Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
; she is currently a Visiting Scientist at the University of Sussex
University of Sussex
The University of Sussex is an English public research university situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, within the city of Brighton and Hove. The University received its Royal Charter in August 1961....
.
Under her maiden name, Alison Bishop, she first published "Control of the hand in lower primates" in 1962. Jolly began studying lemur behavior at Berenty
Berenty Reserve
Berenty Reserve is a small private reserve of gallery forest along the Mandrake river, set in the semi-arid spiny forest ecoregion of the far south of Madagascar. For more than three decades the primatologist Alison Jolly , researchers and students have visited Berenty to conduct fieldwork on lemurs...
in 1963. Since 1990 she has returned for every birthing season to carry out research assisted by student volunteers. She has focused on ring-tailed lemur demography, ranging, and especially inter-troop and territorial behavior, in the context of the fivefold difference in population density from front to back of the reserve.
Her scientific books include Lemur Behavior: A Madagascar Field Study and Lucy’s Legacy: Sex and Intelligence in Human Evolution. Her non-technical works include Madagascar: A World out of Time and Lords & Lemurs: Mad Scientists, Kings With Spears, and the Survival of Diversity in Madagascar. She has also written numerous articles for consumer magazines and scientific journals.
In June 2006, a new species of mouse lemur
Mouse lemur
The mouse lemurs are nocturnal lemurs of the genus Microcebus. Like all lemurs, mouse lemurs are native to Madagascar.Mouse lemurs have a combined head, body and tail length of less than , making them the smallest primates ; however, their weight fluctuates in response to daylight duration.Mouse...
, Microcebus jollyae, was named in her honor.
Publications
- Lemur Behavior: A Madagascar Field Study, 1966
- The Evolution of Primate Behavior, 1972
- Play: Its Role in Development and Evolution, 1976
- A World Like Our Own; Man and Nature in Madagascar,1980
- Madagascar, Key Environments Series, 1984
- Lucy's Legacy: Sex and Intelligence in Human Evolution, 1999
- Lords and Lemurs: Mad Scientists, Kings with Spears, and the Survival of Diversity in Madagascar, 2004
- Ny aiay Ako (Ako the Aye-Aye), 2005
External links
- Alison Jolly's Homepage - University of Sussex
- Alison Jolly's Homepage - University of Winchester