Hominidae

Just off from the mainland of Uganda there is an island, Ngamba Island. This island is small, and cut off from the rest of Africa, this island has become a sanctuary for monkeys and apes, according to the CNN article, Ngamba, the island of the apes” written by Tom Bouchier Hayes and Tom Page. This island is right on the waters of Lake Victoria and has a lush array of vegetation to offer. Chimpanzees today face exploitation from humans, whether it is through deforestation or traffickers, but…

Frances Bartkowski’s “Apes ‘r Us,” is an essay showcasing how our treatment and relationships with animals says a lot more about us then it does about them. Humans create these boundaries between themselves and animals and through these boundaries we draw out our differences and we make of them the portraits we desire and deny. Current literature, in areas such as cross-species medical technologies, transgenic identities, and other chimeric beings, is growing rapidly and forcing us to rethink…

Evolution of the Bony Projection on Ailurus fulgens Melanie Brown Dixie State University Author Note: This paper was prepared for Evolution 3010, class instructed by Dr. Curtis Walker Throughout the evolution of the hand, most commonly found in primates, advantages of a thumb have led to the improvement of activities such as gripping and squeezing. Over time, few species developed full capabilities and usage of the thumb. Some species developed slightly while others did not develop it…

Chimpanzees and Bonobos have been considered a separate variant of species due to evolution for about 2 million years now but are still the closest living ancestors to each other sharing about 99% of each others DNA. They are often mistaken for the same animal but are largely different in the way they govern their societies and mating habits. Anthropologists study chimpanzees and bonobos and attempt to understand them and in turn also understand humans. The question in matter is how do these two…

1. Titus is a very important ape in the history of ape field research studies. This is because he is the longest observed gorilla— primate, apes—. The researcher started researching from the generation of Titus’s parents. Also, Titus is the king of the mountain gorilla. In addition, by analyzing DNA, they found out that he has many offspring than any other. 2. The first concept is that “males may increase their chances of reproducing is to kill infants fathered by other males.” Beetsme killed…

For my project, I chose to design and create a zoo enclosure for a “family” of Bornean Orangutans otherwise known by their scientific name; Pongo pygmaeus. For the construction of this enclosure, I used a box, which I spray painted and cut the top off. This allowed me to mimic a designated viewing area where the Orangutans would hypothetically be placed. Using cardboard walls was not my first choice but I wanted to show specific boundaries of the enclosure. Orangutans are an arboreal species,…

It’s been proven many times that human and non-human primates are closely related to each other. We have similar number of species, similar DNA, similar brain size, similar sociability, and some similar characteristics. Well, how about speaking capabilities? Can they speak like us? Many people may say no, but researchers have a different answer in mind. A well-known and long-kept theory says that chimps, monkeys, and gorillas do not talk because they are incapable of creating sounds for the…

Many people have wondered what actually makes us human. Is it our DNA, or maybe the size of our brain and how it functions? Could it be our ability for speech? Many individuals have studied endlessly trying to answer the difficult question, “What makes us human? In the NOVA documentary explores differences between skull and bone structure of the body, as well as the brain itself. Another area explored is how our brains process and react differently among species. Scientists have investigated…

Human beings love to communicate with one another and share private matters with each other. Without interacting with one another, the existence of human beings would not have lasted this long. Animals are able to interact with each other, and are bound together mostly with their own kind of species. However, animals lack the skill of reason, morality and consciousness that human beings have, which makes us different from other living creatures. Moreover, human beings intend to communicate and…

Is pessimism simply brutal honesty? Readers of the novel The Cloud Corporation, by Timothy Donnelly, are given a string of poems that seem to insinuate a bleak future for society. The author repeatedly points out the ignorance and backwardness of the human race. What is reality and how has the human race come to shape this reality? Donnelly conveys the impression that humans are their own worst enemy; they are the problem and the solution. The world is turning over a new leaf. This new side of…