ROBERT W. SUSSMAN Professor, Physical Anthropology Ph.D., Duke University, 1972 314-935-5264 rwsussma@artsci.wustl.edu

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In Madagascar, I am conducting a long-term study of the demography, ecology and social organization of the ring-tailed lemur at the Beza Mahafaly Reserve. I am co-founder of this reserve which is part of a cooperative program in research, conservation, education, and development between Washington U, Yale U, and the University of Madagascar . I have worked with botanists, geologists and social anthropologists on this and other conservation/development projects in Madagascar . We are currently involved in monitoring deforestation with satellite images, and attempting to determine its causes and consequences on the lemurs of the region.

In Mauritius , I have worked on the ecology and social organization, and with Washington U. biologists, the genetics of long-tailed macaques who were introduced @ 450 years ago. The forests of Mauritius are extremely degraded and are disappearing rapidly. Along with a botanist, I have described plant density, diversity and the process of invasion of exotic plants in some remnant endemic forests. We plan to continue working on the macaques on this island.

I have recently begun, and have students working in Central and South America, especially Costa Rica and Guyana . We are interested in community ecology and conservation of the primates in these regions.

Finally, I am interested in the evolution of human and nonhuman primate behavior and the ways in which the study of primates can help us understand the biological basis of human behavior, though I am in no way a biological determinist and believe that biological anthropology must be grounded in good, general anthropological theory.

For more information see the overview of the department's research in physical anthropology.

Courses

Primate Ecology and Behavior, Biological Basis of Human Behavior, Field Methodology, Behavioral Studies at the St. Louis Zoo, Selected Topics in Primatology

Selected Recent Publications

2007

R.W. Sussman and Donna Hart. Modeling the past: the primatological approach.Pp. 701-721. In W. Henke, H. Roth, & I. Tattersall (eds.), Handbook of Palaeoanthropology Vol. 1: Principles, Methods, and Approaches. Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg.

Sussman, R. W.. A history of primate field studies. Pp. 6-10. In S. Bearder, C.J. Campbell, A. Fuentes, K.C. Mackinnon, and M. Panger(eds.) Primates in Perspective. Oxford University Press, New York.

Robert W. Sussman and Paul A. Garber. Primate Sociality. Pp. 636-651. In S. Bearder, C.J. Campbell, A. Fuentes, K.C. Mackinnon, and M. Panger (eds.) Primates in Perspective. Oxford University Press, New York.

Alison Jolly and Robert W. Sussman. Notes on the history of ecological studies of Malagasy lemurs. Pp. 19-39. In L. Gould and M. Sauther (eds.) Lemurs: Ecology and Adaptation. Springer, New York.

D.T. Rasmussen and R.W. Sussman. Parallelisms among primates and possums. Pp. 775-803. in M.J. Ravosa and M. Dagosto (eds.) Primate Origins and Adaptations. Plenum Press, New York.

E.Kelley and R.W. Sussman. Academic genealogy on the history of American Field Primatology. American Journal of Physical Anthopology.132:406-425.

2006

Alison Jolly, Robert W. Sussman, Naoki Koyama, and Hantanirina R. Rasamimanana, eds. Ringtailed Lemur Biology. Springer, New York .

R.W. Sussman, S. Sweeney, G.M. Green, I. Porton, O.L. Andrianasolondraibe, and J. Ratsirarson. A preliminary estimate of Lemur catta population density using satellite imagery. Pp. 14-29. In Alison Jolly, Robert W. Sussman, Naoki Koyama, and Hantanirina R. Rasamimanana (eds.), Ringtailed Lemur Biology. Springer, New York.

2005

Donna Hart and R.W. Sussman. Man the Hunted:Primates, Predators, and Human Evolution. Westview Press, Boulder, CO. (Japanese edition, 2007).

2003

Primate Ecology and Social Structure, Volumes 1 & 2 . Pearson Custom Publishing, Needham Heights, MA.