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Primatologist
Studies primates — apes, monkeys, and lemurs — their behavior, society, and conservation.
Did you know?
In 1960 Jane Goodall saw chimps fish for termites with grass stalks and strip leaves off twigs to make tools, proving humans aren't the only toolmakers.
How subjects help
- Biology: Study what chimpanzees and monkeys eat and how their bodies suit life in the trees.
- Psychology: Test how apes solve puzzles, use tools and remember where food is hidden.
- Sociology: Observe how a monkey troop picks leaders, makes friends and settles fights.
- Environmental Science: Work to protect the forests where endangered apes live from logging and hunting.
A famous name
Biruté Galdikas: Primatologist who studied wild orangutans in Borneo for over 50 years, starting in 1971.
Try it yourself: Watch an animal for ten minutes
- Choose an animal and stay still and quiet so you don't disturb it. Don't touch or chase it.
- Make a tally of what it does: eating, moving, resting, calling, grooming.
- Draw one feature that helps it survive, like a beak shape, legs or colour.
- What was it doing most? What question would you want to answer next time?
Zoologists observe animals patiently, often for hours, recording what they really do rather than what we expect.
Also try: Invent a way to sort leaves.
Known for it in
Tanzania, USA, UK, Japan, Uganda