Wednesday, December 22, 2010
News Watch from Great Ape Trust
http://greatapetrust.org/library/news-watch/
A compilation of news articles about the scientific study and conservation of the world's great apes and primates.
Latest news from around the globe
- Scientists Aim to Map and Save Endangered Habitats
- Mountain Gorilla Population Grows
- Rwanda Intensifies Environmental Protection
- Rwanda Expects 30% Forest Cover 7 Years Ahead of Schedule
- Orangutans Survived "Squeeze" Event
- Study: Like Humans, Apes Play It Safe When Uncertain
- Rwanda Returns Two Mountain Gorillas to Congo
- Review: Among the Great Apes
- In the Footsteps of the Natural Museum's Gorillas
- Great Apes Might Just Be As Smart As Humans After All
- Cameroon 'New Gorillas' Need Protection
- New Study: Do Fossil FIngers Point To Sex Habits?
- Study: Chimpanzees Tend To Be Right-Handed
- Rwanda's Nyungwe National Park to Benefit From New Tourist Attactions
- The March to Extinction Accelerates
- Sara Gruen's Ape House Mashes Up Primatology and Celebrity Culture
- Gishwati: The Forest of Hope
- Fire Hoses Help Orangutans FInd A Mate
- Conservationists Must Recognize "Biases and Delusions" to Succeed
- Tarred by the Same Brush
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
Amazing Apes: Self-awareness (1/2)
o Part 2:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=2kY6QS8BBZE
What really sets us apart from our cousins? Self-awareness?
Nope, apes can do this, too.
This video illustrates that our ape cousins also exhibit self-awareness, by recognizing that the reflected image in a mirror actually represents themselves.
Animals that can pass the mirror test:
Humans
All of the great apes
Bottlenose dolphins
Orcas
Elephants
European Magpies
An amazing bit of footage from the National Geographic documentary "Human Ape".
More Information:
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com...
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/cont...
Category:
Link to Part 1: http://youtube.com/watch?v=W-pc_M2qI74
What really sets us apart from our cousins? Awareness of the difference between ourselves and others?
Afraid not!
This video illustrates that our ape cousins also exhibit signs of self and other-awareness, by matching vocal sounds with the faces that generated those noises, with over an 80% success rate. This is more than random chance.
An amazing bit of footage from the National Geographic documentary "Human Ape".
More Information:
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com...
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/cont...
Self-Recognition in Apes
Researchers set up tests to show that great apes can recognize themselves in the mirror.
Kanzi and Novel Sentences
January 09, 2009
Kanzi's language comprehension has been demonstrated in research using novel sentences — phrases that preclude the learning of specific responses. Visit www.greatapetrust.org to learn more about Kanzi and the other great apes at Great Ape Trust. To keep up on the latest information from Great Ape Trust, sign up for our enewsletter.
Kanzi Understands Spoken Language
Kanzi's ability to understand spoken language can be seen in this video. He is asked to find the lexigrams, or symbols, for specific words. Copyright Sue Savage-Rumbaugh. Learn more about Kanzi and Great Ape Trust by visiting www.GreatApeTrust.org.
Category: Kanzi
Kanzi with lexigram
Bonobo walks upright, carries morning paper, looks it over. All this bonobo needs for its morning activity is a cup of coffee.
The Bonobo, also called the Pygmy or Gracile Chimpanzee (Pan paniscus) belongs to the species (with the common chimpanzee) that is most closely related to humans. Its DNA is 98% identical to that of humans and some researchers think they should be classified with the human species, i.e., Homo paniscus. Bonobos have relatively long legs, a matriarchal cultural, and are generally considered frugivorous. They often walk upright and have a human-like appearance. Frans de Waal, one of the leading primate researchers, has stated that the bonobo is capable of empathy, kindness, altruism, and compassion. E. Savage-Rumbaugh and Roger Lewin have extensively studied the ability of the bonobo to learn language. Kanzi has learned over 3000 spoken English words and around 400 lexigrams. He can understand simple grammatical sentences and possibly invent new vocal sounds. The bonobo is also an accomplished tool user.
Many consider the bonobo to be the most closely related of all animals to people. The bonobo has been presented as a stand-in for what human ancestors of only a few million years looked like. With its pink lips, expressive face, high forehead, long, and neatly-parted, head hair, this animal looks very human. Its human appearance is even more accented by its highly individual facial features and its ability to walk upright with its back straight like a person and unlike the bent over posture of other apes. It is considered the most intelligent of all animals by many researchers. Individuals have been taught a vocabulary of as many as 400 words and are able to type using a special keyboard of geometric symbols. Bonobos can understand and respond to such complex commands as ones to take a bottle out of a refrigerator, open it, and put it on a table. Bonobo DNA is around 99-98 percent identical to our own.
Despite this closeness, the bonobo is one of the least recognized of any animal. This is because it was discovered in one of the most forbidden wildernesses of Africa in only 1928. Amazingly enough, this closest cousin was one of the very last large mammals to be discovered.The bonobo is remarkably intelligent.
APE VIDEOS:
GIANT CHIMPANZEE, HUMAN-SIZED, MYSTERIOUS NEW SPECIES PART 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4riL1E...
GIANT CHIMPANZEE, HUMAN-SIZED, MYSTERIOUS NEW SPECIES PART 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILo8EY...
GIANT CHIMPANZEE, HUMAN-SIZED, MYSTERIOUS NEW SPECIES PART 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSAgQf...
GORILLA ATTACKS - PUSHES FRIEND IN WATER
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6ZrOj...
BONOBO RECOGNIZES HERSELF IN CAMERA VIEWER
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoKiTs...
Bonobo-A Greeting From A Rare, Endangered, Human-Like Ape
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXGz-a...
Bonobo Display-Male bonobo, the peaceful ape displays
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYWADW...
Bonobo closest species to human walk upright "wear clothes"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJom0P...
World's Largest Chimpanzee
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moT83Z...
WORLD'S FIRST GORILLA BORN IN CAPTIVITY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2m9bR...
Ape vs. Monkey
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq48Vx...
GORILLA PLAY "ATTACKS" JACK HANNA, ZOO DIRECTOR EMERITUS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzGE8L...
WORLD'S FIRST GORILLA MATING FACE TO FACE VIEW
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYrLC7...
Bonobo Mating Activity Face-to-face
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7Yqaq...
CHIMPANZEES CAN READ AND WRITE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=266FV-...
Chimpanzee, Bonobo, Orangutan, Gorilla, Siaman-The Great Ape
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxXDEs...
Babies Gorilla and Human Babies Playing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOUZ8e...
Baby Gorilla; Future Engineer, Self-recognition
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dvagag...
Baby Gorilla and Human Babies/Children toys play
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMDsdb...
Baby Gorilla and Human Babies Play, Say Goodbye
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pd8PFI...
Musical, Loud Chorus Of Singing Gibbons
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azNzz_...
Bonobo walks upright, carries morning paper, looks it over
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y27PMk...
Four Hands, The Bonobo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWum4D...
Chimpanzee & Gorilla Maternal Behavior
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRhP3R...
Orangutan watches & imitates human behavior (endangered)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrs7Cm...
Category: Bonobo
Bonobo videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6ZrOj...
BONOBO RECOGNIZES HERSELF IN CAMERA VIEWER
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoKiTs...
Bonobo-A Greeting From A Rare, Endangered, Human-Like Ape
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXGz-a...
Bonobo Display-Male bonobo, the peaceful ape displays
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYWADW...
Bonobo closest species to human walk upright "wear clothes"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYrLC7...
Bonobo Mating Activity Face-to-face
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=266FV-...
Chimpanzee, Bonobo, Orangutan, Gorilla, Siaman-The Great Ape
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azNzz_...
Bonobo walks upright, carries morning paper, looks it over
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y27PMk...
Four Hands, The Bonobo
BONOBO RECOGNIZES HERSELF IN CAMERA VIEWER
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoKiTs...
Bonobo-A Greeting From A Rare, Endangered, Human-Like Ape
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXGz-a...
Bonobo Display-Male bonobo, the peaceful ape displays
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYWADW...
Bonobo closest species to human walk upright "wear clothes"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYrLC7...
Bonobo Mating Activity Face-to-face
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=266FV-...
Chimpanzee, Bonobo, Orangutan, Gorilla, Siaman-The Great Ape
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azNzz_...
Bonobo walks upright, carries morning paper, looks it over
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y27PMk...
Four Hands, The Bonobo
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Bonobos, our closest animal relatives:
Great apes use head shaking to say no, scientists believe
Bonobos, our closest animal relatives, have been filmed for the first time appearing to "say no" by shaking their heads.
By Richard Alleyne, Science Correspondent
Published: 6:28PM BST 05 May 2010
The apes were captured by scientists moving their heads from side to side as they stopped others from performing a task they were not happy with.
In one film a mother is seen shaking her head to stop her infant climbing a tree. In another, a bonobo shakes its head at a colleague trying to steal its food.
Researchers believe that the behaviour may be an early precursor to head-shaking behaviour among humans.
"In bonobos, our observations are the first reported use of preventive head-shaking," said Ms Christel Schneider from the Max Planck Institute, Germany.
Ms Schneider said the videos captured at Leipzig Zoo in Germany show a bonobo mother shaking her head in disapproval when her infant plays with some food.
"Ulindi, tried to stop her infant, Luiza, from playing with a piece of leek," she said.
"Since Luiza took no notice despite repeated attempts to stop her, Ulindi finally shakes her head towards the infant."
Ulindi eventually throws the leek away whilst the infant still tries to reach for it, the researchers report.
African great apes such as bonobos (Pan paniscus) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are known to use head gestures such as nodding, bowing and shaking to communicate with other group members.
Bonobos are already known to use head-shaking to initiate interactions with other members of the group, such as playing.
However, this is the first study to film and observe an ape shaking its head in a negative context to stop or prevent other bonobo behaviour.
The scientists observed the behaviour whilst studying bonobos as part of wider study on the communication of great ape infants.
Using video recordings they studied the gestures and behaviour of bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas and orang-utans in six European zoos.
During the study, they witnessed four individual bonobos shaking their heads in this way on 13 different occasions.
Previously only anecdotal reports have noted individual chimpanzees shaking their head to signal 'no'.
The researchers, who published their findings in the journal Primates, believe that bonobos use a wide range of head gestures compared to chimpanzees, and are considered to be more sophisticated at using their head to signal meaning.
Such sophisticated communication systems may emerge because of the apparently tolerant, co-operative and egalitarian societies that bonobos live in, with their diffuse hierarchies and complex social structures.
In this way, bonobos may have developed the preventive head-shake to say "no" and negotiate conflict situations.
The researchers are cautious to say that they cannot be sure the bonobos definitively mean "no" when they shake their heads this way.
Bonobos, our closest animal relatives, have been filmed for the first time appearing to "say no" by shaking their heads.
Published: 6:28PM BST 05 May 2010
The apes were captured by scientists moving their heads from side to side as they stopped others from performing a task they were not happy with.
In one film a mother is seen shaking her head to stop her infant climbing a tree. In another, a bonobo shakes its head at a colleague trying to steal its food.
Researchers believe that the behaviour may be an early precursor to head-shaking behaviour among humans.
"In bonobos, our observations are the first reported use of preventive head-shaking," said Ms Christel Schneider from the Max Planck Institute, Germany.
Ms Schneider said the videos captured at Leipzig Zoo in Germany show a bonobo mother shaking her head in disapproval when her infant plays with some food.
"Ulindi, tried to stop her infant, Luiza, from playing with a piece of leek," she said.
"Since Luiza took no notice despite repeated attempts to stop her, Ulindi finally shakes her head towards the infant."
Ulindi eventually throws the leek away whilst the infant still tries to reach for it, the researchers report.
African great apes such as bonobos (Pan paniscus) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are known to use head gestures such as nodding, bowing and shaking to communicate with other group members.
Bonobos are already known to use head-shaking to initiate interactions with other members of the group, such as playing.
However, this is the first study to film and observe an ape shaking its head in a negative context to stop or prevent other bonobo behaviour.
The scientists observed the behaviour whilst studying bonobos as part of wider study on the communication of great ape infants.
Using video recordings they studied the gestures and behaviour of bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas and orang-utans in six European zoos.
During the study, they witnessed four individual bonobos shaking their heads in this way on 13 different occasions.
Previously only anecdotal reports have noted individual chimpanzees shaking their head to signal 'no'.
The researchers, who published their findings in the journal Primates, believe that bonobos use a wide range of head gestures compared to chimpanzees, and are considered to be more sophisticated at using their head to signal meaning.
Such sophisticated communication systems may emerge because of the apparently tolerant, co-operative and egalitarian societies that bonobos live in, with their diffuse hierarchies and complex social structures.
In this way, bonobos may have developed the preventive head-shake to say "no" and negotiate conflict situations.
The researchers are cautious to say that they cannot be sure the bonobos definitively mean "no" when they shake their heads this way.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Bonobo
| Bonobo[1] | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Primates |
| Family: | Hominidae |
| Genus: | Pan |
| Species: | P. paniscus |
| Binomial name | |
| Pan paniscus Schwarz, 1929 | |
 | |
| Bonobo distribution | |
The Bonobo (English pronunciation: /bəˈnoʊboʊ/[3][4] /ˈbɑnəboʊ/[5]), Pan paniscus, previously called the Pygmy Chimpanzee and less often, the Dwarf or Gracile Chimpanzee,[6] is a great ape and one of the two species making up the genus Pan. The other species in genus Pan isPan troglodytes, or the Common Chimpanzee. Although the name "chimpanzee" is sometimes used to refer to both species together, it is usually understood as referring to the Common Chimpanzee, while Pan paniscus is usually referred to as the Bonobo.
The Bonobo is endangered and is found in the wild only in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Along with the Common Chimpanzee, the Bonobo is the closest extant relative to humans. Since the two species are not proficient swimmers, it is possible that the formation of theCongo River 1.5 – 2 million years ago led to the speciation of the Bonobo. They live south of the river, and thereby were separated from the ancestors of the Common Chimpanzee, which live north of the river.[7]
German anatomist Ernst Schwarz is credited with having discovered the Bonobo in 1928, based on his analysis of a skull in the Tervurenmuseum in Belgium that previously had been thought to have belonged to a juvenile chimpanzee. Schwarz published his findings in 1929. In 1933, American anatomist Harold Coolidge offered a more detailed description of the Bonobo, and elevated it to species status.[8] The American psychologist and primatologist Robert Yerkes was also one of the first scientists to notice major differences between Bonobos and Chimpanzees.[9]
The species is distinguished by relatively long legs, pink lips, dark face and tail-tuft through adulthood, and parted long hair on its head. Although Bonobos are generally understood to be a matriarchal species, there are also claims of a special role for the alpha male in group movement.
The reason Bonobos are perceived to be a matriarchal species is that females tend to collectively dominate males and commonly engages in casual sexual activity, as well as significant homosexual contact.[10][11] The limited research on Bonobos in the wild was taken to indicate that these behaviors may be exaggerated by captivity, as well as by food provisioning by researchers in the field.[10] This view has recently been challenged, however, by Duke University's Vanessa Woods;[12] Woods reported in a recent radio interview[13] who observed bonobos in a spacious forested sanctuary in the DRC, and reports the same sort of hypersexuality under these more naturalistic conditions; additionally, while she acknowledges there is a hierarchy among males, including an "alpha male," these males are less dominant than the dominant female matriarch.
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