Apes and monkeys. They are our closest relatives in the animal kingdom. Their peculiarities and abilities, their behaviour and mysteries fascinate us to the core. Indeed, they resemble us in so many ways. Monkeys and Apes in the Wild illustrates the enormous diversity among them, a fact that is apparent just in the range of sizes: While the pygmy marmoset weighs roughly 100 grams, an adult gorilla can be 270 kilos.

Ingo Arndt introduces us to some of the most impressive species, the case studies for the fascinating variety of these animals. Among them are intelligent orangutans, whose name literally means "forest person;" "cultured" Japanese macaques, who enjoy bathing in warm volcanic hot springs; mighty, but usually peaceful gorillas; geladas from the barren grassy regions of the Ethiopian Highlands; and bald uakaris – extensively documented here for the first time – from the swamp forests of the Amazon headwaters.

Each section features an informative introductory chapter by zoologist Fritz Jantschke.

Ingo Arndt is one of the most distinguished and successful German wildlife photographers. His documentaries have taken him almost everywhere on the planet. He publishes regularly in GEO, natur+kosmos and other magazines. His many awards and prizes include: 2005 "World Press Photo Award," multiple awards in the "BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year" and "European Nature Photographer of the Year" competitions.

Fritz Jantschke is a zoologist and writer. After his doctorate on the behaviour of orang-utans and several years of further research, he shifted his focus to outreach activities at Frankfurt Zoo and was subsequently editor of the magazine Das Tier for eighteen years. Today, he is a freelance author, mainly for television documentaries.