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Think that GIF of the smoking chimp is funny? The chimp wasn’t laughing
Think that GIF of the smoking chimp is funny? The chimp wasn’t laughing Mongabay Series: Great Apes by Tina Deines on 17 November 2021 While a GIF of an ape engaging in “human” behavior may seem cute, the animals used to create such images were often subjected to...
Orangutan drawings change with season and mood
She may not be Rembrandt or Pablo Picasso, but Molly the orangutan drew more than 1000 pictures over her lifetime. Now, one of the largest studies of nonhuman primate drawings to date—including hundreds of works by Molly and her ape companions at a Japanese zoo-reveal distinct individual differences in styles and ability. Some of the pictures appeared to change with the season, perhaps indicative of an orangutan’s mood.
Opinion: Hugging is common and meaningful in the animal kingdom
It’s tempting to see all the hugs, rubs and lip smacks among animals as something they share with us humans. But there’s a critical difference: The animals mean it.
Two bonobos adopted infants outside their group, marking a first for great apes
Attentive parenting appears across the animal world, but adoption is rarer, especially when youngsters taken in aren’t kin. Now researchers have witnessed bonobos adopting infants from outside of their own communities.
Joshi is swapping life in captivity for a new start in the jungle
Thirteen-year-old Joshi has spent his entire life in a British safari park, but he’s now being given a new start – and family – in the jungle of Congo-Brazzaville.