Primates: Part 1

by Jim Ottaviani, Maris Wicks
Using a graphic novel format, this book explores the lives and work of primatologists Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3–Epilogue
20 words 713 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. documentary
    a film presenting the facts about a person or event
    I ended up living in London — with no animals at all — and working at a job selecting music for documentary films.
  2. chum
    a close friend
    And then the letter from Clo came...an old school chum from Uplands, and has invited me to visit her in Kenya.
  3. missionary
    someone sent to a foreign country to spread a religion
    I was born in Kenya — my parents were missionaries to the Kikyuyu tribe.
  4. initiate
    accept people into an exclusive society or group
    At 13, I was initiated into the tribe.
  5. abide by
    act in accordance with rules, commands, or wishes
    Here are the rules for conduct. You will abide by them beginning today, and will have them committed to memory by the end of the week.
  6. expedition
    an organized group of people undertaking a journey
    In the end, a fossil-hunting expedition to Tanganyika changed my plans.
  7. anthropology
    science of the origins and social relationships of humans
    I was hooked — I dropped missionary studies and got degrees in anthropology and archaeology instead.
  8. archaeology
    the branch of anthropology that studies prehistoric people
    I was hooked — I dropped missionary studies and got degrees in anthropology and archaeology instead.
  9. primate
    any mammal of the group including monkeys, apes, and humans
    Why are you so keen on this?
    Because I'm interested in people. And because primate behavior doesn't fossilize.
  10. fossilize
    convert to plant or animal remains
    Why are you so keen on this?
    Because I'm interested in people. And because primate behavior doesn't fossilize.
  11. malaria
    a disease caused by parasites transmitted by mosquito bite
    We got sick right away — probably malaria — and could hardly move for two weeks.
  12. habituate
    familiarize psychologically or physically
    Habituating animals to human presence also wasn't common.
  13. primatology
    study of the order of mammals that includes monkeys and apes
    George Schaller, a famous primatologist who'd done the longest wild gorilla study ever — 400 hours! — visited Gombe that first October.
  14. hallucination
    an object perceived during a delusional episode
    Can it really be me, here, now? Or is it some strange hallucination?
  15. prevail
    be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance
    But in 1960, "human = tool user" was the prevailing wisdom, and I put that to rest.
  16. emaciated
    very thin, especially from disease or hunger or cold
    You're emaciated, you know!
  17. slack
    a noticeable deterioration in performance or quality
    She picked up so much of my slack that after we saw Louis that December in Nairobi, he sent a cablegram to Mum...
  18. ethology
    the study of the behavior of animals
    I was on my way to Cambridge. Louis had gotten me accepted into their Ph.D. program in ethology.
  19. dung
    fecal matter of animals
    To get a better handle on everything chimps eat, I collected sacks full of their dung.
  20. hone
    refine or make more perfect or effective
    Her parenting techniques were admirable. She had honed them with Faben, Figan, and Fifi.
Created on Tue Jan 21 11:40:28 EST 2020 (updated Wed Jan 22 11:31:32 EST 2020)

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