ABSTRACT
The tropical forests where most primates live are humid, shadowy places. More often than not, there is a humming in the background from the hordes of mosquitos and other insects hovering about. Fieldworkers’ clothes get torn and snagged from thorny plants that thrive on the forest floor, and our skin is often covered with itchy scabs from the microscopic ticks that invariably find their way to the warmest parts of our bodies to feed on our blood. Putting up with these discomforts can be trying at times, but it is a small price to pay for the privilege of studying the world’s wild primates.
