Chimpanzee

The Homo Sapien, the “thinking apes,” ancestors of mankind have been around for about six million years (Howell). Since then we have undergone many advances, many revolutions, starting with the very thing that gave humans an advantage over other beings, their minds. Mankind was able to create tools that allowed them to master everything that they did, they harvested energy/ fire, engendered mathematics, democracy, the wheel, the printing press, electricity, vaccinations, etcetera. Humanity was…

The primatologist, Jane Goodall was born on the 3rd of April, 1934 in London, United Kingdom. She was born to father, Herbert Goodall, who was a businessman and also had a strong passion for motor-racing and mother Margaret Myfanwe Joseph who was an author and wrote under the name of Vanne Morris Goodall. Jane Goodall grew up with only one sister named Judy. From an early age, Jane was mesmerized by watching animals and birds and how they interacted with one another. She would draw sketches and…

Who knew that interacting and observing with animals can change someone's life? Animals change lives almost everyday in someone's and we should be grateful for our dogs that we have. People can improve with the help of animals by helping with jobs, problems, or just being a good companion. My connection with animals is with my pet cats Max and Dexter. One of the things I love about them is that they can be very playful at the most times. Sometimes they like to chase around a string and just…

Jane Goodall Warns of Chinese Threat to Africa Few people on the planet understand the ecosystem of Africa like Jane Goodall. The 80-year-old primatologist, ethologist, and anthropologist is best known for her work with chimpanzees in Tanzania. The former Dutch Baroness saw first hand what the colonial powers did to the African wildlife habitats. She spent the better part of her life fighting for those who did not have a voice to fight for themselves. Now, Goodall sees a resurgence of…

The Lagothrix is within the Neotropical primate family, Atelidae. Atelids are the largest Neotropical primates yet only two studies have tried to resolve the relationships among taxa within the genus Lagothrix (Ruiz-Garcia Pinedo-Castro, 2010). Within the genus are 2 allopatric species, one widespread in the western Amazon (L. lagotricha) and the other confined to montane forests on the eastern slope of the Central Cordillera of the Andes in northern Peru, bordering the Amazonian forest (L.…

Do Velvet Gecko (Oedura lesueurii) Exhibit Specialized or Generalized Anti-Snake Behavior? The main question this study asked was do velvet geckos discriminate amongst snake species and display antipredator behaviors according to the ‘threat sensitivity’ hypothesis (i.e. in a graded fashion depending upon the degree of threat posed by a particular snake species)? The authors hypothesized that velvet geckos should display general antipredator behaviors to the scent of syntopic elapid snakes,…

Not many people can say that they grew up alongside a chimp. In We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, main character Rosemary’s chimp sister Fern has an enormous effect on her life. Although Fern is only in Rosemary’s life for a short period of time in her childhood, the chimp impacts Rosemary deeply and brings out her animalistic qualities. Even as an adult, Rosemary behaves in inappropriate, “monkey-like” behaviour, as Fern would. Instead of addressing the problems she is faced with, she…

The study of primates is not as simple and straightforward as one might initially believe. Theirs’ is a complex world of interaction. In many ways highly similar to that of humans. This intricacy has led to the need for scientists to redefine what being human truly means. For upon studying primates a social milieu was revealed. Primates were seen expressing themselves through different behaviors. In addition, their societies are intricately organized and they form enduring relationships. These…

Relationships between animals and humans have always been a mixed bag of need and fascination over differences and similarities. For generations humans have used animals as personal companions, work support and to understand themselves better and sometimes to the disadvantage of the animals. Primates are human’s closest relatives genetically and in social behavior relations. This makes them the best option to study and learn more about human psychology and the nervous system Through neurobiology…

The common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) is from the phylum Chordata and class Mammalia, they are believed to be the closest relatives to humans due to its evolutionary relationships with humans and its common ancestor, there are many similarities that chimps share with humans. Among these similarities is the display of tool-using behaviors in chimps. Nut cracking has been considered as one of the most complex forms (Schrauf et al. 2012). In its most knowledgeable form, a chimpanzee will crack…