The Living Primate

Chimpanzee learns tool construction using video...

2009-08-13T19:52:00.005+10:00

Dr Elizabeth Price and colleagues at St Andrew's University in Scotland, UK have found that Chimpanzee's are able to copy tool construction from conspecifics using video.

Access the paper here for free:-

http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2009/06/30/rspb.2009.0640.full.html#ref-list-1

Gibbon adds slamming door percussion to song

2009-07-17T14:02:00.004+10:00

White Handed Gibbon female enhances her song using the slamming of a door.

Geissman a leading primatologist specialising in primates such as the gibbon observed.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8150000/8150604.stm

If you are interested in knowing more about Gibbon behaviour follow the attached:-
http://www.gibbons.de/main/index.html

Red Mangabey Filmed in Central Africa - a Rare Opportunity

2009-06-11T16:56:00.002+10:00

The elusive Red Mangabey have been filmed in Central Africa for the first time.

Little is known of these wonderful primates.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8090000/8090412.stm

Captive Siamang's and Matching

2009-05-28T13:52:00.005+10:00

I recently conducted another observational study; of Siamang's at Adelaide Zoo. Again this study was aimed at observing any imitative behaviour between mother and infant. I was priviledged to spend 3 days with these acrobats of the jungle! Despite losing one day of data due to an Orangutan escape, I was intrigued to find matching in Siamang's for a tiny infant only 3 months of age! These creatures continue to surprise me. It was much more difficult to keep up with them, given my ancient video camera! It was most interesting that I found the infant opening and closing its mouth spontaneously when the mother chewed on food. This was a rare sight and only occured on 1 or 2 occasions. I would need to do a longer study to verify these findings. I hope to be replicating these studies again end of July, beginning of August! Keep posted.

Evidence of dancing in birds...

2009-05-01T05:14:00.004+10:00

Despite this blog being predominantly relating to primates, last year I gave a presentation relating to the autopomorphy of humans being able to dance and keep to a beat. I did argue that no other species have been found to dance in tempo with a partner for recreation. I think part of this argument still stands as no other species do partner dance. However, there is new evidence that birds dance to the beat, so despite there being no evidence for partner dancing this is really an amazing discovery. Indeed, it is suggested that it is linked to vocal learning and mimicry. Is it absence of evidence or evidence of absence? Indeed, why would they need to partner dance, and is recreation potentially a human autopomorphy? It depends on how recreation is defined, indeed, this warrants an in-depth discussion beyond a blog post. Nevertheless, a great discussion point!

http://news.mongabay.com/2009/0430-hance_birddance.html

Habitat Crisis Orangutans, Logging and Palm Oil

2009-04-26T18:37:00.003+10:00

This documentary portrays the reality behind the crisis facing Orangutans at the hand of all of us due to our consumerism.

We all need to be more vigilent about products we buy, how they are made and where they come from and refrain from buying products with palm oil.

http://greenfilm.free.fr/

Matching in Gorilla gorilla gorilla

2009-04-17T20:39:00.005+10:00

I recently did a short observational study of a captive Gorilla Gorilla carer and infant dyad and found some evidence for matching. This is only preliminary data and is part of my honours thesis. To my surprise often the infant (male, 8 months old) showed most matching during carer feeding time. The infant would watch the carer eating and would pick up a branch and try and imitate chewing (the infant is not weaned and will only be so at 2.5 years, it is still suckling). This was observed on several occasions. Indeed, only one bout of imitation from a juvenile playing was observed, the juvenile threw himself backwards and the infant immediately did the same! Despite as mentioned this being preliminary data and the many limitations (eg crowd management, distraction, and captivity to name a few) it is promising for further studies. Furthermore, due to the paucity of observational studies on imitation in primates this may provide some evidence for future directions. I will be conducting another short observational study in a captive Siamang carer dyad in May 2009 (infant is approximately 4 months old). Watch this space!

Discovery of Orangutan Population in Indonesia

2009-04-17T17:56:00.002+10:00

Conservationists have found a 2000 strong population of Orangutans in Indonesia. While this is a boost to the current numbers of Orangutans in the wild, this by no means reduces their imminent path to extinction.

Click here for more details:-

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jh27AL42OQp_0TiIaZvwQy040QNgD97GS4SG0

Tactile sex and baboons

2009-03-06T20:13:00.004+10:00

Ray Tobler from Victoria University has found that Hamadryas females may modify their their reproductive cycle to deceive their mates.....

http://www.sciencealert.com.au/news-nz/20090403-18869.html

Self recognition in lesser apes...gibbons

2009-03-06T08:47:00.002+10:00

Research by Emma Collier-Baker and Thomas Suddendorf of The University of Queensland shows that gibbons cannot recognize themselves in the mirror! This sheds more light on the evolutionary trajectory of self recognition in homo sapiens, greater apes and our common ancestor.

http://www.sciencealert.com.au/news/20090503-18874.html

Oil Palm Plantations effects on health, rainforest and wildlife

2009-03-05T08:40:00.008+10:00

This comprehensive report produced by the Centre for Science in the Public Interest explains the effects palm oil has on health, rainforest and wildlife.

http://www.cspinet.org/palmoilreport/PalmOilReport.pdf

From Cosmetics to Biofuel - World Rainforest Movement

http://www.wrm.org.uy/plantations/material/BookOilPalm2.html

Greasy Palms by Friends of the Earth

http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/reports/greasy_palms_impacts.pdf

Using technology and insight to regrow the rainforest.....

2009-03-05T07:14:00.004+10:00

Willie Smits biologist has been able to regenerate rainforest in Samboja, Indonesia. Thank you Willie for showing us how it can be done. Also for showing how we can conserve the rainforest, orangutans and how the people, flora and fauna can live together. Furthermore, Willie clearly demonstrates how important the rainforest is for climate change and how in a few short years what can be achieved. The microsystem he has created is an example of just how fragile the ecosystem is but how robust it can be given the right circumstances and how all can benefit harmoniously.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vfuCPFb8wk

The end of the rainforests....

2009-03-04T13:20:00.005+10:00

Need I say more, biofuel will be the end of the rain forest. Its as if the big corporations and governments shroud their projects with new names so they are accepted by society. Jared Diamond was right......society will collapse when the resources run out as they have done so many times in the past.

http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2009/03/why-biofuels-are-rainforests-worst-enemy

Orangutans......is there any hope?

2009-03-02T20:50:00.010+10:00

I went to a lecture given by Leif Cocks the President of the Australian Orangutan Project and was very moved by the what I heard and saw. Orangutan populations are being decimated by the palm oil plantation companies to produce the biofuel palm oil. They are being clubbed with rifles, excavators and machetes. Their habitats are being destroyed and burnt. I have written to a number of organisations voicing my concerns, but this seems to fall on deaf ears. They write back the same old sob story that they are part of the Rountable for Sustainable Palm Oil and that they are concerned about the welfare of the Orangutans. However, sitting at the back of a desk writing out theories and plans and objectives has done nothing for the plight of this gentle and gracious cousin. Sharing 97% of our genes and with the intelligence of a 5 or 6 year old child, how can we be satisfied that a few pieces of paper written in the Western world following Western ideology are sufficient? It seems to me that this is piece meal conservation. If we set up a roundtable and show our objectives it will quell the population and their concerns are met. I have lived for 20 years in a third world country (Zimbabwe) and had to leave in 2000. I know from experience that the Western ideology and values are often not shared in these countries, needless to say this is the case in Indonesia and Borneo imbued in a different culture.

The majority of the population is poor, they are concerned with feeding a numerous and ever growing family and will do what ever it takes. It seems to me that it depends on where you are on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs as to whether you are capable of shifting attention and priorities towards causes such as conservation. In the West we are in, what I call, a different life cycle, have more opportunities to educate ourselves and are thus more concerned about the welfare of the planet and flora and fauna inhabiting it. On the other hand, it is our ignorance that is fueling this ever growing need for palm oil. We are consumers we believe we "need" all the products marketed in our society. After spending 3 weeks in the jungle without communication including TV I can tell you I needed nothing than the clothes on my back a bit of soap, shelter, food and water. So how can the few who have changed their mind set assist others to do the same? If we had the answer I would be changing mind sets relating to this issue without delay. However, we all have differing perceptions. Maybe the answer has already arrived maybe the economic crisis will force people to realise its not the material wealth that is our essence but the ability to see beauty in ourselves. others and the sentient beings that inhabit this garden of eden. Make no mistake I am not religious, however, I do know that animals should be understood on their terms and should be respected and appreciated.

There are so many facets to this growing issue that cannot be addressed in one short blog. The economic prosperity of a third world country is undermined by the termination of palm oil growing. Conversely, rainforest devastation accelerates climate change, bringing floods, mud slides and bush fires to say the least. Thus leaving the inhabitants with no food, shelter or the little infrastructure they had to start with. Embroiled in this ugly tale are the inhabitants of the rain forest themselves. Not only may the Orangutans become extinct in 10 years but also the flora and fauna for which both Indonesia and Borneo are reknowned for. I was lucky enough to visit Borneo a few years ago and see Orangutans and Proboscis monkeys for myself. I have to say I was in awe of these creatures. To think that they may soon be gone for the sake of palm oil is not an option for me. We are outstripping our resources is the bottom line. This begs the question is this part of the reason why our society is collapsing? Jared Diamond may agree in his book Collapse! Biofuels may not the answer, maybe a change of lifestyle? A question for another blog I foresee as it is just as multifaceted and complex.

The Centre for Orangutan Protection (COP) has been set up by Indonesians (about 20) to try and help stranded, injured and abused Orangutans. Often risking their lives to save Orangutans. One of the members explained that 'it is like I am mopping the water off the floor but the tap is still running and just never stops'. I wonder if there is potential for a compromise? 14 Orangutans a day are dying and the orphans are scared and traumatised if they survive. Either they are taken for the pet trade or if they are lucky to an orphanage where they are rehabilitated. However, many of the centres are now over flowing with orphans and there is no where to put them. With the devastation of their habitat how can they be rehabilitated and then returned to the forest, and what is their future?? It looks bleak to say the least.

Here is a video from the COP (it is not uplifting and there may be some grafic images):-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2YBQ1AKeAk

I hope this blog can bring some awareness for this issue and I hope that I can make a difference for these gentle creatures, in my small way.

The conundrum of man and his domination of everything..

2009-02-24T17:57:00.002+10:00

This article sums up the state of affairs relating to human kind and their ability to dominate and destroy that which is around them. It saddens me to read this article and I hope that future generations understand the beauty and value of that which they are so priviledged to be surrounded by. I only hope that my opportunity to do my thesis in this my honours year on primate behaviour (and future research) will bring to light the wonder and nature of the great apes and the need to conserve and look after them. Over and above beauty and that which we honestly don't need.

I still have hope.

http://bioenergy.checkbiotech.org/news/cost_biofuel_boom_destroying_indonesia’s_forests

Orangutans Learn to Whistle

2009-02-09T11:59:00.001+10:00

Orangutans in captivity have been known to copy their keepers whistling! This provides some real insights into how language may have developed in humans. And as this article suggests is changing the way we see primates and their abilities. This demonstrates that despite the idea that primate tend to have fixed sounds, this may not always be the case.

http://www.orangutans.com.au/Orangutans-Survival-Information/Orangutans-spontaneous-whistling-opens-new-chapter-in-study-of-evolution-of-speech.aspx

Dialect in Pygmy Marmoset - New World Primate

2009-02-09T11:51:00.004+10:00

One of the smallest primates has been found to have dialects in Ecuador, South America! So humans are not alone and this does not constitute as autopomorphy (unique characteristic of humans)!

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/01/090128-primate-language-dialects-missions.html

The wonder of Endangered Cotton-top Tamarins

2009-02-09T11:44:00.003+10:00

Although these tamarins at the Wisconsin Research Centre are going into retirement after 30 years of giving us behavioural research, they have contributed to the wealth of knowledge about their pair bonding, the paternal contribution to rearing and so much more about this incredible new world primate.

Thanks to Snowden these primates were spared invasive reseach as he preferred to retire his colony than subject them to invasive probing for the sake of science. Funding required his team to conduct more invasive research than they had been exposed to over the last 30 years. Thank you Snowden.

http://www.news.wisc.edu/16186

Capuchins tool use in the wild! Cognitive abilities

2009-02-09T10:44:00.002+10:00

Great news from Fragaszy and colleagues, they have found that capuchins not only use tools in Brazil but they also choose the most effective ones for job! I think that is great news, we are learning more about our distant relatives, and its changing the way we view them and can understand ourselves. This is why evolutionary psychologists really need to take field studies into account and begin to engage in them more to understand and theorise about our origins and its effects on us today.

http://www.physorg.com/news152984550.html

Costa Rica - Monkey Madness and Rainforest

2009-02-06T14:19:00.004+10:00

The research project in Costa Rica was incredible! Professor Paul Garber led the research and course and was instrumental! We had a 6.2 richter scale earthquake, I was peed on by a howler monkey, poked in the eye by a moving branch and was out of action for the day, was attacked by mosquitos the size of a quarter and had rice and beans 3 times a day! But without these experiences I wouldn't have loved the rainforest as much as I did. In terms of laterality in capuchin monkeys, they dragged us through streams, revines, dense fern forest, and swamps, but they did not show significant evidence for laterality. However, the preliminary data I found suggested juveniles hung from their tails more, and had a propensity for using their left hand. By contrast matures used their right hand more and did not hang from branches as much. Thus suggesting that the propensity to use the right hand may change over the lifetime of the individual. It was so interesting to watch the capuchins in their natural habitat and the day before the earthquake there was a slight tremor (which I did not feel) they were going bananas, barking and jumping on the branches. I thought there may have been a jaguar...... only to find out it was a tremor in preparation for the earthquake the next day! They are described as destructive foragers and indeed, you can hear them when they are around. They search in bromeliads, tear bark off with their teeth and hands and throw bark and termite nests at you. In fact, one student had some faeces thrown at him!! Apparently, the local women don't bathe in the river anymore as many of the male capuchins come down to watch them! So how different are we really......... not much! And in terms of laterality I ask myself why they would be, overall, ambidextrous? Well, it makes sense as they are energy maximisers they need to find as much energy giving food as they can in the shortest space of time. In so doing, by grabbing flying insects etc with two hands makes them more efficient. I would love to undertake research over a longer period of time and to understand the differing groups in various habitats....... maybe for my PhD in Bioanthropology! I had the experience of a life time!

Warfare shaping human evolution?

2008-11-16T09:24:00.003+10:00

Have a look at this article relating to warfare and how it has shaped humans today! It seems that it developed as a result of human culture. There also seems to be some unanimity relating to this subject by anthropologists, archeologists, primatologists and psychologists. Could this be the result of cooperation and the ability to work towards a common goal?

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20026823.800-how-warfare-shaped-human-evolution.html

2008-11-03T11:14:00.003+10:00

To test my idea I have decided to complete research of free ranging white-faced capuchins and whether they show evidence of laterality (handedness). In humans it is thought that right-handedness is dominant due to the development of language, or due to the the ability to manipulate objects requiring complex motor skills (throwing theory). There have been a multitude of experiments on both new (eg capuchins) and old world monkeys (eg chimps) showing mixed results. My idea is that there may be some propensity for handedness in the wild if given the right environmental conditions. So for those capuchin monkeys who are forced by pressures in their environment to use more manipulative skills - handedness will be apparent. Sounds easier than it actually is.... because only few instances of tool use have been observed in the wild (eg nut cracking, oyster eating, crab eating).

So my goal is to try and find instances of tool use in wild capuchins in Costa Rica! Pity I can't do a comparison of two populations in differing habitats as I think this will have a bearing on my results. See what we come up with!

2008-10-31T09:17:00.001+10:00

I started this blog following a course on evolutionary psychology I took and my interest in pursuing a career in this field. However, I have been disappointed with the lack of primate understanding by the psychological community. How on earth can we postulate theoretical explanations in our relatives based on little understanding of their behavioural ecology? How can we confidently say that experimental evidence supports theoretical paradigms lacking ecological validity? I found it very hard to side with a lot of the evolutionary psychological ideology and hope that in future they will pay more attention to investigating issues from a grass roots perspective. I agree that comparative analysis is indeed an valuable method of understanding analogous or homologous perspectives of behaviour, but this does not mean we can do so in a vacuum. Are we trying to make psychology too scientific? Are we missing the point as a result? What can anthropology, primatology and archeology tell us about functiona adaptations the lab can't? Is this another case of an egocentric ideology that cognitive traits are uniquely human? These are all questions that I ask myself throughout the course. As a result I have decided to do my bit and am going on a course on Behavioural Ecology in Costa Rica. I hope to see in the future more anthropological field studies as a part of evolutionary psychology courses. I hope this blog will generate some interesting ideas and will stimulate lateral thinking. We don't all have to agree but constructive debate towards better scientific evaluative methods, may reveal small truths whatever these maybe. In the process we may even help to conserve the relatively small population of our relatives while we are at it!