Bonobo

All over the world animals communicate, birds sing, bees dance, but humans go a step further and can create a sort of art with a language that is vast, complex, and can show individuality. Through a unique way of communication, humans gain diversity and individuality, which leads to new ideas and creates collective learning. Others may argue that animals can learn the human language, but that is still different from how humans communicate. The way humans communicate, not including language,…

that entered my mind was a special I had watched concerning the western lowland gorilla Koko and her kitten "Smoky". Koko has been taught over 1000 words of sign language (The Gorilla Foundation 2015, para.3). There is also the example of Kanzi, the bonobo who learned a keyboard symbolic communication language after watching his mother being taught (Park 2015, p.282). My first instinct was to throw my support in with those who claim that these non-human primates prove that they possess true…

about how human evolution evolved over the past two million years. Not only we see a major long-term trend, but also the way Homo sapiens received traits that hold solid roots from species such as the chimpanzees and the bonobos. DeWaal (1995) notes “humans diverged from bonobos and chimpanzees a mere eight million years ago” (p.84). Other than the divergence from the species,…

superior to other living organisms because we have special features that allow us to function somewhat different from the rest of the animals. But still we are not different from the other animals, especially our closest living primate relatives, the bonobos and chimpanzees. To understand ourselves and what our place in the animal kingdom, we need to evaluate ourselves, though a comparison and contrast between the behavior of humans and other animals. What make us humans, and what makes us see…

every other species have the ability to communicate with each other, but they are not able to build upon their basic communication. Many humans have attempted to make animals talk or communicate in our language. (Modified from Paul Raffaele “speaking bonobo”) “He was then asked to communicate this information to his sister. Kanzi vocalized, then his sister vocalized in return and selected “yogurt on the keyboard in front of her.” Several more animals than just Kanzi and his sister have been…

Consolation, a form of compassion, is an empathetic trait common across humans from all walks of life. From hunter-gatherers living in egalitarian societies to the hierarchical societies common of today, humans have maintained this means of expressing empathy for others since the very emergence of our species. It can be hard to believe that a trait so instinctual and basic is common only to the human species and has its roots only in the most recent lineage split from apes (Warneken et al.,…

even recognize themselves in a mirror. Well not all animals are able to recognize themselves in the mirror, not even all primates are able to recognize themselves as stated by______“Animals which have passed the mirror test are common chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans, dolphins, elephants, humans and possibly pigeons.” (CITE) the only exception being an ape named Koko. Does this mean we shouldn’t give rights or assist other creatures that don’t have self-awareness? I believe we should help them…

Issue Based Research The article “An Argument for Animal Rights” by V. Vachula supports animal rights. Vachula believes this issue should be a moral concern. Many times throughout the article he asks the question, "Who gave us our rights, and the ability to choose who gets them? Because human deem themselves superior to animals, we grant ourselves rights over them." To support his idea he introduces extraterrestrial beings visiting our planet. This may be an unrealistic event, but it does get…

Bonobos, who are now thought to be even closer evolutionarily to humans than even chimpanzees, often engage in sexual activities recreationally rather than for procreation. In fact, the majority of their sex is for pleasure, and a large portion of them exhibit…

Rhetorical Analysis of Apes of Wrath Barbara Smuts is a reputable psychologist and anthropologist who teaches at the University of Michigan, she is a connoisseur in the social behavior of animals such as primates. In this essay called “Apes of Wrath” which was first published in 1995, Barbara Smuts makes detailed and relevant connections between her animal observations and that from human’s social relationships. When discussing genetics, humans and primates are almost exact, in addition, Smuts…