Alison Jolly

Alison Jolly (born Alison Bishop: May 9, 1937 – February 6, 2014) was an American primatologist known for her studies of lemurs. She wrote several books for both popular and scientific audiences and conducted extensive fieldwork in Madagascar, primarily at the Berenty Reserve.

Jolly was also the first scientist to identify and propose female dominance in a primate society. She also played a key roll in identifying the importance of social behavior in the evolution of primate intelligence.