Alison Jolly
Alison Jolly | |
---|---|
Born |
Alison Bishop May 9, 1937 Ithaca, New York, United States |
Died |
February 6, 2014 76) Lewes, East Sussex, England | (aged
Nationality | American |
Fields | primatology |
Known for | Lemur biological studies |
Spouse | Richard Jolly (m. 1964–2014) |
Children | 4 |
Alison Jolly (May 9, 1937 – February 6, 2014) was a primatologist, known for her studies of lemur biology. She wrote 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.
Biography
Born Alison Bishop in Ithaca, New York, she held a BA from Cornell University, and a PhD from Yale University; she had been a researcher at the New York Zoological Society, Cambridge University, University of Sussex, Rockefeller University, and Princeton University. At the time of her death she was a Visiting Scientist at the University of Sussex.[1][2]
Under her maiden name, she first published "Control of the hand in lower primates" in 1962.[3] Jolly began studying lemur behavior at Berenty in 1963[4][5][6] and was first to propose female dominance in a primate society. She encouraged field studies that contributed to knowledge about Malagasy wildlife and advised many researchers; she briefed Jane Wilson-Howarth and colleagues before their first expedition to Madagascar in 1981. Since 1990 Jolly had returned for every birthing season to carry out research assisted by student volunteers.[7] She 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.[8] 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.[7] She also wrote numerous articles for consumer magazines and scientific journals.
Jolly was the author of two series of children's books—The Ako Books[9] and The Fiddle Stories.
In June 2006, a new species of mouse lemur, Microcebus jollyae, was named in Jolly's honor.[10]
Personal life
Alison Jolly was married to Sir Richard Jolly, the development economist. She died at home in Lewes, East Sussex, in February 2014 at the age of 76.[11][1] She is survived by her husband and their four children.
Publications
- Lemur Behavior: A Madagascar Field Study, University of Chicago Press, 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, Yale University Press, 1980
- Madagascar: A World Out of Time, 1984 with Frans Lanting & Gerald Durrell
- 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
- Thank You, Madagascar: The Conservation Diaries of Alison Jolly, 2015
Children's Books
- Ny aiay Ako (Ako the Aye-Aye), 2005
- Bitika the Mouselemur, (2012)
- Tik-Tik the Ringtailed Lemur, (2012)
- Bounce the White Sifaka, (2012)
- Furry and Fuzzy the Red Ruffed Lemur Twin, (2012)
- No-Song the Indri, (2012)
- Fiddle and the See-Throughs, (2013)
- Fiddle and the Flint-Boy, (2013)
- Fiddle and the Headless Horseman, (2013)
- Fiddle and the Falling Tower, (2013)
- Fiddle and the Smugglers, (2013)
- Fiddle and the Fires, (2013)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Vitello, P. (18 February 2014). "Alison Jolly, who found female dominance in lemurs, dies at 76". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 26 December 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
- ↑ Richard, A. (19 February 2014). "Alison Jolly obituary". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 26 December 2014. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- ↑ Peterson 2006, p. 285.
- ↑ Jolly, A. et al. (1979). "Population and territory stability of Lemur catta at Berenty, Madagascar". Folia Primatologica 31: 106–123.
- ↑ Jolly, A. et al. (1982). "Population and troop ranges of Lemur catta and Lemur fulvus at Berenty, Madagascar: 1980 census". Folia Primatologica 39: 115–123.
- ↑ Jolly, A. et al. (1982). "Propithecus verreauxi population and ranging at Berenty, Madagascar: 1975 and 1980". Folia Primatologica 39: 124–144.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Diller, F. (20 May 2008). "Scientists' Nightstand: Alison Jolly". American Scientist. Sigma Xi. Archived from the original on 26 December 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
- ↑ Lambert, J. (2000). "Elegant Weave". American Scientist. Sigma Xi. Archived from the original on 26 December 2014. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- ↑ "The Ako Project: The Ako team". Lemur Conservation Foundation. 2009. Archived from the original on 26 December 2014. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- ↑ "Obituary: Dr Alison Jolly". University of Sussex. 14 February 2014. Archived from the original on 26 December 2014. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- ↑ caowrites (11 February 2014). "In memory of Dr. Alison Jolly". Lemurconservationfoundation.wordpress.com. Lemur Conservation Foundation. Archived from the original on 26 December 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
Literature cited
- Peterson, D. (2006). Jane Goodall: The Woman Who Redefined Man. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0547053561. OCLC 64336038.
External links
- Works by or about Alison Jolly in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
- Alison Jolly at the Internet Movie Database
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