| Clarence Ray Carpenter | |
| Birth Date: | 28 November 1905 |
| Birth Place: | Lincoln County, North Carolina |
| Death Place: | Athens, Georgia |
| Spouse: | Ruth Jones Carpenter (1966-1975, his death) |
| Citizenship: | American |
| Nationality: | American |
| Field: | Primatology |
| Work Institution: | New Haven Medical School, Yale University. Bard College, Columbia University. College of Physicians and Surgeons, School of Tropical Medicine, Puerto Rico. Yerkes Primate Center, University of Georgia. Pennsylvania State University. |
| Alma Mater: | B.S. and M.S. Duke University. PhD. Stanford University. |
| Doctoral Advisor: | Robert M. Yerkes |
| Known For: | Cayo Santiago Rhesus Colony. Film & video of primate behavior. |
Clarence Ray Carpenter (usually credited as C. R. Carpenter) (November 28, 1905 – March 1, 1975) was an American primatologist who was one of the first scientific investigators to film and videotape the behavior of primates in their natural environments.
Born in Lincoln County, North Carolina,[1] Carpenter earned his Bachelor of Science (1928) and Master of Science (1929) degrees at Duke University and his Doctor of Philosophy (1932) degree at Stanford University.
From 1931 to 1934, Carpenter conducted field research on the natural behavior of primates under the sponsorship of Yale University professor Robert M. Yerkes. Carpenter's field work, part of the Asiatic Primate Expedition team, has been noted for bringing scientific rigor for primate field studies.[2] This includes determining how to get an accurate count of individuals, recording and interpreting primate calls, and improving understanding of other complex social behaviors. According to Irven DeVore, "for the succeeding thirty years almost all of the accurate information available on the behavior of monkeys and apes living in natural environments was the result of Carpenter's research and writing." Carpenter's lar gibbon, Hylobates lar carpenteri, is named in his honor.[3]
Though known for his innovations in field work, Carpenter also advocated for breeding rhesus macaques for scientific experimentation. He initiated an effort to move 400 monkeys from India to Santiago Island, now part of Puerto Rico, for experimentation.[4]