What collective name did Louis Leakey give Goodall, Fossey, and Galdikas?

Louis Leakey called Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birutė Galdikas the Trimates. He selected the three women to study great apes in their natural habitats: Goodall researched chimpanzees, Fossey studied mountain gorillas, and Galdikas studied orangutans.

Leakey believed that observing living great apes could provide clues about the behavior and social lives of early humans. Goodall began at Gombe in 1960, Fossey established her gorilla research in Rwanda in 1967, and Galdikas began studying orangutans in Borneo in 1971.

The three researchers worked in different ecosystems and focused on different ape species, but their projects shared a commitment to long-term field observation. Their work also helped establish women as prominent leaders in primatology and made ape conservation a global concern.

“Leakey’s Angels” is another name sometimes used for the trio, while “Trimates” is the canonical collective name. Goodall’s discovery that chimpanzees make and use simple tools became one of the most influential findings associated with the group.