Primates, brains and ecology
Abstract
The paper examines systematic relationships among primates between brain size (relative to body size) and differences in ecology and social system. Marked differences in relative brain size exist between families. These are correlated with inter‐family differences in body size and home range size. Variation in comparative brain size within families is related to diet (folivores have comparatively smaller brains than frugivores), home range size and possibly also to breeding system. The adaptive significance of these relationships is discussed.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Home range size has an influence on brain structures in primates.
“because home range size has been shown to have an influence on brain structures in primates (Clutton-Brock & Harvey, 1980;Sawaguchi, 1990)”
From Baboons (Papio anubis) living in larger social groups have bigger brains. (2021) · cites this paper as Clutton-Brock & Harvey, 1980
The foraging hypothesis posits that dietary complexity, indexed by field reports of dietary breadth and reliance on fruit, was the primary driver of primate cognitive evolution.
“The foraging hypothesis posits that dietary complexity, indexed by field reports of dietary breadth and reliance on fruit (a spatiotemporally distributed resource), was the primary driver of primate cognitive evolution (151-154).”
From The evolution of self-control. (2014) · cites this paper as [152]
Cites
QUANTITATIVE GENETIC ANALYSIS OF MULTIVARIATE EVOLUTION, APPLIED TO BRAIN:BODY SIZE ALLOMETRY
Lande, R. (1979) · Evolution · doi:10.1111/j.1558-5646.1979.tb04694.x · Cited by 2,648 · see citing works
Quantitative genetic analysis of multivariate evolution, applied to brain: body size allometry
Lande, R. (1979) · Evolution · doi:10.2307/2407630 · Cited by 2,648 · see citing works
Hutt, S. J. (1977) · Animal Behaviour · doi:10.1016/0003-3472(77)90136-1 · Cited by 2,326 · see citing works
ALLOMETRY AND SIZE IN ONTOGENY AND PHYLOGENY
GOULD, S. J. (1966) · Biological Reviews · doi:10.1111/j.1469-185x.1966.tb01624.x · Cited by 2,280 · see citing works
Evolution Above the Species Level
Rensch, B. (1959) · Columbia University Press eBooks · doi:10.7312/rens91062 · Cited by 1,093 · see citing works
Primate ecology and social organization
Clutton‐Brock, T. H., & Harvey, P. H. (1977) · Journal of Zoology · doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1977.tb04171.x · Cited by 978 · see citing works
Self-citationLocomotion: Energy Cost of Swimming, Flying, and Running
Schmidt‐Nielsen, K. (1972) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.177.4045.222 · Cited by 953 · see citing works
Lewontin, R. C. (1978) · Scientific American · doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0978-212 · Cited by 851 · see citing works
Primate Ecology and Social Organization
Richard, A. F. (1982) · Cited by 838 · see citing works
Recent advances in primatology
Hofer, H. (1969) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 753 · see citing works
Evolution of the Brain and Intelligence
(1973) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-123-85250-2.x5001-9 · Cited by 667 · see citing works
Sexual dimorphism, socionomic sex ratio and body weight in primates
Clutton‐Brock, T. H., Harvey, P., & Rudder, B. D. (1977) · Nature · doi:10.1038/269797a0 · Cited by 623 · see citing works
Self-citationSmall Mammals: Their Productivity and Population Dynamics
Flowerdew, J. R., Golley, F. B., Petrusewicz, K., & Ryszkowski, L. (1976) · Journal of Applied Ecology · doi:10.2307/2402272 · Cited by 555 · see citing works
Smith, J. D., Napier, J. R., & Napier, P. H. (1968) · Journal of Mammalogy · doi:10.2307/1378240 · Cited by 533 · see citing works
ORGANIC CORRELATION AND ALLOMETRY
Kermack, K. A., & Haldane, J. B. S. (1950) · Biometrika · doi:10.1093/biomet/37.1-2.30 · Cited by 451 · see citing works
Species Differences in Feeding and Ranging Behaviour in Primates
Clutton‐Brock, T. H., & Harvey, P. (1977) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-176850-8.50024-x · Cited by 259 · see citing works
Self-citationRELATIVE BRAIN SIZE AND FEEDING STRATEGIES IN THE CHIROPTERA
Eisenberg, J. F., & Wilson, D. E. (1978) · Evolution · doi:10.1111/j.1558-5646.1978.tb04627.x · Cited by 226 · see citing works
Primate ecology and human origins
Steklis, H. D. (1981) · Ethology and Sociobiology · doi:10.1016/0162-3095(81)90030-3 · Cited by 179 · see citing works
QUANTITATIVE COMPARATIVE NEUROANATOMY OF PRIMATES: AN ATTEMPT AT A PHYLOGENETIC INTERPRETATION*
Stephan, H., & Andy, O. J. (1969) · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.1969.tb20457.x · Cited by 172 · see citing works
Schmidt‐Nielsen, K. (1972) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9781139167543 · Cited by 169 · see citing works
ENCÉPHALISATION ET NIVEAU ÉVOLUTIF CHEZ LES SIMIENS
Bauchot, R., & Stephan, H. (1969) · Mammalia · doi:10.1515/mamm.1969.33.2.225 · Cited by 131 · see citing works
DONNEES NOUVELLES SUR L’ENCEPHALISATION DES INSECTIVORES ET DES PROSIMIENS
Bauchot, R., & Stephan, H. (1966) · Mammalia · doi:10.1515/mamm.1966.30.1.160 · Cited by 129 · see citing works
Pirlot, P., & Stephan, H. (1970) · Canadian Journal of Zoology · doi:10.1139/z70-075 · Cited by 80 · see citing works
Behavioral aspects of ecology.
Klopfer, P. H. (1962) · Prentice-Hall, Inc eBooks · doi:10.1037/13127-000 · Cited by 80 · see citing works
Approaches to Primate Paleobiology
Whitehead, J. M., & Szalay, F. S. (1976) · Man · doi:10.2307/2800395 · Cited by 77 · see citing works
The Ecology and Sociology of Feeding in Indri indri
Pollock, J. I. (1977) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-176850-8.50007-x · Cited by 72 · see citing works
Brain Evolution: New Light on Old Principles
Jerison, H. J. (1970) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.170.3963.1224 · Cited by 60 · see citing works
Hladik, C. M. (1967) · Mammalia · doi:10.1515/mamm.1967.31.1.120 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Tableau général des Poids somatique et encéphalique dans les espèces animales
Lapicque, L. (1907) · Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d anthropologie de Paris · doi:10.3406/bmsap.1907.7004 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Le poids encéphalique chez les Insectivores Malgaches
Bauchot, R., & Stephan, H. (1964) · Acta Zoologica · doi:10.1111/j.1463-6395.1964.tb00710.x · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Neocortex size as a constraint on group size in primates
Dunbar, R. I. M. (1992) · Journal of Human Evolution · doi:10.1016/0047-2484(92)90081-j · Cited by 2,542 · see citing works
The evolution of self-control.
MacLean, E. L., Hare, B., Nunn, C. L., Addessi, E., Amici, F., Anderson, R. C., Aureli, F., Baker, J. M., Bania, A. E., Barnard, A. M., et al. (2014) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1323533111 · Cited by 819 · see citing works
Brains, Innovations and Evolution in Birds and Primates
Lefebvre, L., Reader, S. M., & Sol, D. (2004) · Brain, Behavior and Evolution · doi:10.1159/000076784 · Cited by 666 · see citing works
Feeding innovations and forebrain size in birds
LEFEBVRE, L., WHITTLE, P., LASCARIS, E., & FINKELSTEIN, A. (1997) · Animal Behaviour · doi:10.1006/anbe.1996.0330 · Cited by 579 · see citing works
Deaner, R. O., Isler, K., Burkart, J., & van Schaik, C. (2007) · Brain, Behavior and Evolution · doi:10.1159/000102973 · Cited by 549 · see citing works
The origin of mind: Evolution of brain, cognition, and general intelligence.
Geary, D. C. (2005) · doi:10.1037/10871-000 · Cited by 551 · see citing works
A critique of comparative studies of brain size
Healy, S. D., & Rowe, C. (2007) · Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rspb.2006.3748 · Cited by 528 · see citing works
MILTON, K. (1981) · American Anthropologist · doi:10.1525/aa.1981.83.3.02a00020 · Cited by 501 · see citing works
The evolution of primate general and cultural intelligence
Reader, S. M., Hager, Y., & Laland, K. N. (2011) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2010.0342 · Cited by 496 · see citing works
Brain size predicts the success of mammal species introduced into novel environments
Sol, D., Bacher, S., Reader, S. M., & Lefebvre, L. (2008) · The American Naturalist · doi:10.1086/588304 · Cited by 437 · see citing works
Précis of <i>The brain and emotion</i>
Rolls, E. T. (2000) · Behavioral and Brain Sciences · doi:10.1017/s0140525x00002429 · Cited by 397 · see citing works
Understanding primate brain evolution
Dunbar, R. I. M., & Shultz, S. (2007) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2006.2001 · Cited by 392 · see citing works
Evolutionary radiation of visual and olfactory brain systems in primates, bats and insectivores
Barton, R. A., Purvis, A., & Harvey, P. H. (1995) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.1995.0076 · Cited by 352 · see citing works
Self-citationA bias for social information in human cultural transmission
Mesoudi, A., Whiten, A., & Dunbar, R. (2006) · British Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1348/000712605x85871 · Cited by 349 · see citing works
The evolution of the social brain: anthropoid primates contrast with other vertebrates
Shultz, S., & Dunbar, R. I. M. (2007) · Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rspb.2007.0693 · Cited by 344 · see citing works
Rethinking phylogenetic comparative methods
Uyeda, J. C., Zenil-Ferguson, R., & Pennell, M. W. (2018) · Systematic Biology · doi:10.1093/sysbio/syy031 · Cited by 313 · see citing works
Visual specialization and brain evolution in primates
Barton, R. A. (1998) · Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rspb.1998.0523 · Cited by 301 · see citing works
Connor, R. C. (2007) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2006.1997 · Cited by 289 · see citing works
Kaplan, H. S., & Robson, A. J. (2002) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.152502899 · Cited by 288 · see citing works
Harvey, P. H., & Krebs, J. R. (1990) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.2196673 · Cited by 261 · see citing works
Self-citationRelative Brain Size and Metabolism in Mammals
Armstrong, E. (1983) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.6407108 · Cited by 252 · see citing works
Social pressures have selected for an extended juvenile period in primates
Joffe, T. H. (1997) · Journal of Human Evolution · doi:10.1006/jhev.1997.0140 · Cited by 247 · see citing works
Can endocranial volume be used as an estimate of brain size in birds?
Iwaniuk, A. N., & Nelson, J. E. (2002) · Canadian Journal of Zoology · doi:10.1139/z01-204 · Cited by 228 · see citing works
Coevolving avian eye size and brain size in relation to prey capture and nocturnality
Garamszegi, L. Z., Møller, A. P., & Erritzøe, J. (2002) · Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rspb.2002.1967 · Cited by 232 · see citing works
Primate brain evolution : genetic and functional considerations
(1996) · Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rspb.1996.0103 · Cited by 137 · see citing works
Brain Size Allometry Ontogeny and Phylogeny
Martin, R. D., & Harvey, P. H. (1985) · Size and Scaling in Primate Biology · doi:10.1007/978-1-4899-3647-9_8 · Cited by 119 · see citing works
Self-citationTHE EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY OF CETACEAN BRAIN AND BODY SIZE: CETACEAN BRAIN EVOLUTION
Montgomery, S. H., Geisler, J. H., McGowen, M. R., Fox, C., Marino, L., & Gatesy, J. (2013) · Evolution · doi:10.1111/evo.12197 · Cited by 106 · see citing works
Naqshbandi, M., & Roberts, W. A. (2006) · Journal of Comparative Psychology · doi:10.1037/0735-7036.120.4.345 · Cited by 108 · see citing works
On <i>The brain and emotion</i>
Rolls, E. T. (2000) · Behavioral and Brain Sciences · doi:10.1017/s0140525x00512424 · Cited by 91 · see citing works
Monkeys and apes: Are their cognitive skills really so different?
Amici, F., Aureli, F., & Call, J. (2010) · American Journal of Physical Anthropology · doi:10.1002/ajpa.21305 · Cited by 69 · see citing works
Foraging Cognition in Nonhuman Primates
Zuberbühler, K., & Janmaat, K. (2010) · Primate Neuroethology · doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195326598.003.0004 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
Baboons (Papio anubis) living in larger social groups have bigger brains.
Meguerditchian, A., Marie, D., Margiotoudi, K., Roth, M., Nazarian, B., Anton, J.-L., & Claidière, N. (2021) · Evolution and Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2020.06.010 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
Lefebvre, L. (2012) · Progress in Brain Research · doi:10.1016/b978-0-444-53860-4.00019-2 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Allomaternal care, brains and fertility in mammals: who cares matters
Heldstab, S. A., Isler, K., Burkart, J. M., & van Schaik, C. P. (2019) · Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology · doi:10.1007/s00265-019-2684-x · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Comparative evidence indicating neural specialization for predatory behaviour in mammals
(1993) · Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rspb.1993.0127 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
- Authors
- Clutton‐Brock, T. H., & Harvey, P. H.
- Affiliations
- University of Cambridge (GB)
- Harvard University (US)
- ORCID
- Harvey, Paul H.
- Venue
- Journal of Zoology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 1980-03
- Volume
- 190
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 309-323
- ISSN
- 0952-8369 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-7998
- OpenAlex
- W2114458610
- Cited by
- 550
- References
- 30
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 29 · 2020: 18 · 2019: 21 · 2018: 22 · 2017: 23 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 12 · 2014: 25 · 2013: 15 · 2012: 16
- FWCI
- 14.18
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Zoology (publishedVersion)
- RCIN (Digital Repository of the Scientifics Institutes) (Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Primate Behavior and Ecology
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Evolution and Paleontology Studies
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Keywords
- primate brain size, relative brain size, primate ecology, social systems, diet, folivory, frugivory, home range size, body size, breeding system, comparative neuroanatomy, adaptive significance
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
