Dr Mary Blanchard PhD

Contact details

Telephone: +44 (0)121 414 5598
Email: m.l.blanchard@bham.ac.uk

Address: W125, School of Biosciences
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Dr Mary Blanchard studies the locomotor behavior and ecology of primates, with experience of long-term field work in Madagascar and captive conservation in the UK.

Qualifications

BSc (Hons) University of Southampton, Oceanography & Geology

MSc University of Liverpool, Early Hominid Studies

PhD University of Liverpool, Lemur locomotor behaviour

Biography

Dr Mary Blanchard started at the University of Liverpool in 1999 as an MSc student and soon got hooked on primates, heading out for 6-months fieldwork in Madagascar as soon as the course finished. This cemented her love of lemurs and she has since returned for two year-long field seasons for her PhD and subsequent Leverhulme funded post-doc, both based out of Liverpool.

Teaching

Dr Mary Blanchard is teaching on various modules across the years on subjects such as animal behavior, human evolution and the marine environment.

Research

Dr Mary Blanchard’s research interests are centered on the locomotor behavior and ecology of wild primates and their arboreal predators. She is also interested in how the understanding of a species wild locomotion can improve their captive welfare and be used for conservation in human altered habitats.

Other activities

Dr Mary Blanchard is an elected member of the council of the Primate Society of Great Britain (PSGB). As part of this role she is their membership secretary and archivist.

Publications

Blanchard ML, Furnell S, Sellers WI, Crompton RH (2015) Locomotor flexibility in Lepilemur explained by habitat and biomechanics. American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 156: 58-66.

Furnell S, Blanchard ML, Crompton RH, Sellers WI. (2015) Locomotor Ecology of Propithecus verreauxi in Kirindy Mitea National Park. Folia Primatologica. 86: 223-230.

Crompton RH, Blanchard ML, Coward S, Alexander R, Thorpe SK (2010) Vertical Clinging and Leaping Revisited: Locomotion and habitat use in the Western tarsier, Tarsius bancanus explored through loglinear modelling. International Journal of Primatology. 31: 958-979.

Blanchard ML, Crompton RH(2010) Field Study Methods for Primate Locomotor Ecology and Biomechanics In: D’Aout, C. & Vereecke, E.E. (eds.) Primate Locomotion: Linking Field and Laboratory Research. Springer, New York

Blanchard ML (2011). Eastern Bamboo Lemur, Hapalemur griseus griseus. In All the World’s Primates (ed. Noel Rowe). Pagonias Press: New York York

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