Primate Win

did-you-kno: Source

pintucks — Wed, 15 May 2013 09:09:49 +0100

did-you-kno:

Source

GRASP

pintucks — Tue, 14 May 2013 09:34:11 +0100

GRASP

Twycross Zoo's Baby Crowned Lemur Snacks On A Little Grass

pintucks — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:03:04 +0100

Keepers at Twycross Zoo are celebrating the arrival of a baby Crowned Lemur, born on April 11. Experienced mom Rose is doing a superb job. Infants are initially carried on the mother’s front but as they grow heavier they are moved onto her back. The father takes and active role in parenting as well. Tony Dobbs, Section Head of Primates, said: “The baby arrived a few days earlier than we had expected but both mum and baby are doing very well. While Rose is looking after the newborn, the father, Rik, has taken on the role of the proud, protective father.”

In the wild the Crowned Lemur is confined to a small patch of forest in Madagascar and listed on the IUCN Red List as Vulnerable. There their population is decreasing because their habitat is in rapid decline principally due to heavy mining, illegal logging and hunting for food.

From zooborns.com

11.9 Million Year Old Fossil Of Great Ape Sheds Light On Evolution

pintucks — Fri, 03 May 2013 22:00:00 +0100

Researchers who unearthed the fossil specimen of an ape skeleton in Spain in 2002 assigned it a new genus and species, Pierolapithecus catalaunicus. They estimated that the ape lived about 11.9 million years ago, arguing that it could be the last common ancestor of modern great apes: chimpanzees, orangutans, bonobos, gorillas and humans. Now, a University of Missouri integrative anatomy expert says the shape of the specimen’s pelvis indicates that it lived near the beginning of the great ape evolution, after the lesser apes had started to develop separately but before the great ape species began to diversify.

Ashley Hammond, a Life Sciences Fellow in the MU Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, is the first to examine the pelvis fragments of the early hominid. She used a tabletop laser scanner attached to a turntable to capture detailed surface images of the fossil, which provided her with a 3-D model to compare the Pierolapithecus pelvis anatomy to living species.

Hammond says the ilium, the largest bone in the pelvis, of the Pierolapithecus catalaunicus is wider than that of Proconsul nyanzae, a more primitive ape that lived approximately 18 million years ago. The wider pelvis may be related to the ape’s greater lateral balance and stability while moving using its forelimbs. However, the fingers of the Pierolapithecus catalaunicus are unlike those of modern great apes, indicating that great apes may have evolved differently than scientists originally hypothesized.

“Pierolapithecus catalaunicus seemed to use a lot of upright behaviors such as vertical climbing, but not the fully suspensory behaviors we see in great apes alive today,” Hammond said. “Today, chimpanzees, orangutans, bonobos and gorillas use forelimb-dominated behaviors to swing below branches, but Pierolapithecus catalaunicus didn’t have the long, curved finger bones needed for suspension, so those behaviors evolved more recently.”

Hammond suggests researchers continue searching for fossils to further explain the evolution of the great apes in Africa.

“Contrary to popular belief, we’re not looking for a missing link,” Hammond said. “We have different pieces of the evolutionary puzzle and big gaps between points in time and fossil species. We need to continue fieldwork to identify more fossils and determine how the species are related and how they lived. Ultimately, everything is connected.”

The study, “Middle Miocene Pierolapithecus provides a first glimpse into early hominid pelvic morphology,” will be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Human Evolution.

From phys.org/news

GRASP

pintucks — Fri, 03 May 2013 17:33:24 +0100

GRASP

Photo

pintucks — Thu, 02 May 2013 09:04:00 +0100

allcreatures: Gorilla Photobombs Two Youngsters at Werribee...

pintucks — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 21:18:10 +0100

allcreatures:

Gorilla Photobombs Two Youngsters at Werribee Open Range Zoo In Melbourne, Australia

sdzsafaripark: More Monroe antics.

pintucks — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 07:38:20 +0100

sdzsafaripark:

More Monroe antics.

allcreatures: Starving orangutans are being rescued from a...

pintucks — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 09:41:58 +0100

allcreatures:

Starving orangutans are being rescued from a forest after bulldozers destroyed their home. Among those saved from the brink of death were a pregnant female and a mother and baby who refused to let go of each other during the horrific ordeal. The orangutans were found clinging to the last few remaining trees when the Indonesian forest they were living in was bulldozed to make way for an palm oil plantation.

Here are some links for organizations that rescue orangutans or preserve lands for orangutans:

Orangutan Outreach

Sumatran Orangutan Society

International Animal Rescue

Orangutan Land Trust

Picture: Caters News Agency (via Pictures of the day - Telegraph)

Movember? Now it's Ape-ril.

pintucks — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:50:38 +0000

I turned 22 today.

pintucks — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 21:54:29 +0000

GRASP

pintucks — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 07:55:06 +0000

GRASP

phototoartguy: A six-month old Sumatran orangutan called Gokong...

pintucks — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 22:13:12 +0000

phototoartguy:

A six-month old Sumatran orangutan called Gokong Putung is treated by a vet at the quarantine centre run by the Sumatran Orangutan conservation programme in Batu Mbelin Deli Serdang, Indonesia. The male orangutan was rescued from a house near a palm plantation. Photograph: Dedi Sahputra/EPA

Video

pintucks — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 23:08:53 +0000

neurosciencestuff: Chimps solve puzzles for the thrill of...

pintucks — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 21:42:25 +0000

neurosciencestuff:

Chimps solve puzzles for the thrill of it

The apes, which are our closest relatives in the animal kingdom, seem to get the same level of satisfaction out of solving brain teasers as their human evolutionary cousins.

A study published by the Zoological Society of London shows that six chimpanzees who were given a game which involved moving red dice or Brazil through a maze of pipes enjoyed solving the puzzle whether they got a reward or not.

The researchers claim this suggests they got the same kind of psychological reward as humans get when solving problems.

Most problem solving witnessed in the animal kingdom, where animals use tools or navigate mazes, are with the aim of reaching food. Hyenas, octopuses and birds such as crows all show the ability to solve problems.

Chimpanzees have also been witnessed in the wild using tools such as a stick to forage for insects or honey in hard to reach places like tree stumps.

But ZSL researcher Fay Clark said their research said they could be motivated by more than just food.

She said: “We noticed that the chimps were keen to complete the puzzle regardless of whether or not they received a food reward.

“This strongly suggests they get similar feelings of satisfaction to humans who often complete brain games for a feel-good reward.”

A little late for Valentines, but hope you all had a lovely...

pintucks — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 10:46:41 +0000

A little late for Valentines, but hope you all had a lovely day.

Happy Darwin Day!

pintucks — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 11:22:24 +0000

thejunglenook: Chimpanzee laughter.Why yes… it is a part of my...

pintucks — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 22:03:57 +0000

thejunglenook:

Chimpanzee laughter.

Why yes… it is a part of my job that I get to interact and occasionally tickle chimps. This is my favourite noise in the whole world.

Photo

pintucks — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 19:29:00 +0000

blaze-ferrari: Evolution Simplified

pintucks — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 10:28:31 +0000

blaze-ferrari:

Evolution Simplified