speakers
Jill Pruetz

Associate Professor of Anthropology, Iowa State University, IA

Presentation Title:

What can chimpanzees tell us about human evolution?

Studying chimpanzees living in a savanna environment in Senegal allows Dr. Pruetz to assess what is most limiting to apes in this harsh environment, similar to the habitat of the earliest bipedal apes. Comparing the behavior of savanna chimpanzees to those that live in forests allows her to pose hypotheses regarding what may have influenced the behavior and ecology of our earliest relatives.

Website

Recent Publications

Luckett, J, Danforth, E, Linsenbardt, K and Pruetz, J. 2004. Planted Trees as Corridors for Primates at El Zota Biological Field Station, Costa Rica Neotropical Primates 12(3):143-146. doi: 10.1896/1413-4705.12.3.143

Jill Pruetz' blog

Resources for Teaching

Jill Pruetz, Biological Anthropologist
From National Geographic. Text description of Dr. Pruetz' work and links to text stories and video clips of the chimpanzees.

Jill Pruetz Interview
Dr. Pruetz talks about how she became interested in her field, and gives an overview of her research in this video.

Chimps on the Edge
National Geographic clip about Dr. Pruetz' research. You can also subscribe to a collection of YouTube videos Dr. Pruetz uploads on her Fongoli research. Start with this one showing behavior at a water hole (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-JPAlF_4Ks) and subscribe in the upper left hand corner to see more, or search for Jill Pruetz on YouTube.

Chimps with spears captivate photographer
April 2, 2008 NPR story.

In Digital Age, What's left for Modern Explorers?
Talk of the Nation, Jan. 6, 2011 interview with National Geographic Explorers. Dr. Pruetz' segment starts at 12:48.

Meeting Jill Pruetz
Blog post by an undergraduate who met Dr. Pruetz.