Menopause observed in chimpanzees, challenging our understanding of why humans undergo a loss of reproductive function

Menopause observed in chimpanzees, challenging our understanding of why humans undergo a loss of reproductive function

New research challenges the idea that humans are the only species of primate in which females experience the menopause – a loss of ability to bear young that occurs long before the end of their natural lifespan. Until now, menopause had only been observed in humans, orcas and four other species of toothed whale. Previous […]

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Bonobos and Chimps Recognize Faces of Their Friends Even after Many Years of Separation

Bonobos and Chimps Recognize Faces of Their Friends Even after Many Years of Separation

While human social memory lasts decades and tracks relationships, less is known about non-human ape long-term memory. In a new paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists present evidence that our closest living relatives, chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and bonobos (Pan paniscus), recognize the faces of familiar conspecifics even after many […]

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‘Fishing’ chimpanzees found to enjoy termites as a seasonal treat

‘Fishing’ chimpanzees found to enjoy termites as a seasonal treat

The discovery that chimpanzees use tools to fish for termites revolutionized our understanding of their abilities—but we still don’t have crucial context to help us understand termite fishing and chimpanzee minds. Are chimpanzees fishing for a seasonal treat or trying their luck? Researchers based at the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) and University College […]

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Love thy neighbor: Cooperation extends beyond one’s own group in wild bonobos

Love thy neighbor: Cooperation extends beyond one’s own group in wild bonobos

A study published in Science challenges the notion that only humans are capable of forming strong and strategic cooperative relationships and sharing resources across non-family groups. Researchers from Harvard University and the German Primate Center examined the pro-social behavior of bonobos (Pan paniscus), one of humanity’s closest living relatives, finding that their cooperation extends beyond […]

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Research Shows Chimps Using “Military Style Tactics” to Gain Advantage on Rivals

Research Shows Chimps Using “Military Style Tactics” to Gain Advantage on Rivals

Recent research suggests that troops of chimpanzees in Ivory Coast have embraced a military tactical approach by scaling hilltops for reconnaissance missions and advancing when the enemy is distant or outnumbered. Sylvain Lemoine, a primatologist at the University of Cambridge and the lead author of the study, notes, “These military tactics that we see in […]

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Poverty-fueled deforestation of Nigerian reserve slashes hope for rare chimps

Poverty-fueled deforestation of Nigerian reserve slashes hope for rare chimps

Formed in 1938 on a swath of primary forest nearly four times the size of Paris, Nigeria’s Akure-Ofosu Forest Reserve is home to a diverse array of wildlife. These include red-capped mangabeys (Cercocebus torquatus), putty-nosed monkeys (Cercopithecus nictitans), mona monkeys (Cercopithecus mona), and Nigerian white-throated guenons (Cercopithecus erythrogaster pococki). But perhaps the reserve’s most iconic […]

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