From Roman classics to British tabloids, humans have long celebrated the curious and remarkable ability of #birds and other #animals to imitate the sounds of humans and other animals. A recent surge of research is revealing how and why birds use vocal mimicry to further their own interests. Far from being merely a biological curiosity,Continue reading “The mimics among us — birds pirate songs for personal profit”
Tag Archives: animal behaviour
Conservation activists suing Indonesian zoo could inspire global action on endangered species trade
A lawsuit against a Sumatran zoo for illegally exhibiting threatened species like orangutans could inspire global action against the illegal wildlife trade
Bonobo mothers meddle in their sons’ sex lives – making them three times more likely to father children
New research shows that for #bonobos, sex really is often a family affair. What’s more, rather than being an embarrassing hindrance, motherly presence greatly benefits bonobo sons during the deed.
Along with #chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), bonobos (Pan paniscus) are our closest living relatives. Restricted to a 500,000 km² thickly-forested zone of the #Congo Basin, these endangered great apes were only formally discovered in 1928, which until 2017 made them the most recently-described living great ape species.
Operating in female-led social systems, bonobos are capable of showing a wide range of what were long held as human-specific feelings and emotions, such as sensitivity, patience, compassion, kindness, empathy and altruism. Help them to survive every time you shop #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
Do chimpanzees and orangutans really have midlife crises?
Many people know that chimpanzees and orangutans have personalities, feel emotions and are “almost human”. However a recent paper has found that great apes also have a mid-life slump or a “midlife crisis”. Great apes (chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and orangutans) are just as socially, politically and cognitively complex as we are. Our “hairy” great ape relatives are like us in every respect. Help them to survive when you shop and be #Vegan #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
Bonobos Can Inspire More Peaceful Democracies
Bonobos can inspire a more peaceful democracy. Primatologists explain the fascinating lives of these mostly peaceful primates. Boycott palm oil when you shop!
Humans and Bonobos Share Contagious Yawn Behaviour
Most of us have experienced the overwhelming urge to yawn in response to another person yawning – but we’re not the only species to do this. Research published in PeerJ shows that bonobos – our closest evolutionary cousins – also experience “yawn contagion”. Similarly to how yawning occurs in human beings, the effects of yawn contagion in bonobos is influenced by the quality of relationships shared between individuals.
The tendency for humans to mirror the behaviours and emotions of another – sometimes referred to as “emotional contagion” – is also thought to reflect our heightened capacity for empathy. Help all non-human primates to survive extinction and be #Vegan #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife.
African Forest Elephants’s Movements Depend on Their Personalities
African forest #elephants roam the dense rainforests of West and Central Africa where they subsist largely on a diet of fruit. They shape forests by dispersing fruit and seeds, browsing, and creating an extensive trail network. But because it’s difficult to track animals in thick forest, little is known about the movements of the AfricanContinue reading “African Forest Elephants’s Movements Depend on Their Personalities”
In the Atlantic Forest, the lowland tapir is at risk of extinction
Lowland tapir populations in the Atlantic Forest in South America are at risk of almost complete disappearance, scientists have estimated. Weighing up to 250 kg, the animal can adapt to most habitats in South America—but its populations continue to decline across their range. Take action for these beautiful irreplaceable animals every time you shop, be #vegan for forests, farmed animals and wild animals and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
Meet Chimbu, the blue-eyed, bear-eared tree kangaroo
Tree kangaroos are so unusual that when Europeans first encountered them in Australia in 1872, back on the continent they were sceptical if they were real! Who would believe a #kangaroo could climb a tree? The Goodfellow’s tree kangaroo is an endangered species of the genus dendrolagus living in the Central Cordillera mountain ranges ofContinue reading “Meet Chimbu, the blue-eyed, bear-eared tree kangaroo”
Laughs, Cries and Deception: The Complex Lives of Birds
#Birds can certainly get very angry – and the owner of a galah or corella would be well advised not to get near this bird when the head feathers are raised — but birds can be joyful and playful, can get depressed and, as studies have shown, a neglectful or bare environment can even make them pessimistic.
Birds may feel for others (have empathy) and even console them, may have a sense of justice, may show deep affection for their partner and grieve for their loss. I witnessed the mate of a fatally injured tawny frogmouth not moving from the spot next to their dead partner for three days, and then dying on the fourth. 🌴🩸🧐 Be #vegan for them! ❌ #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
For primates, having a mother helps them learn social skills
Wild #bonobos, like other Great #Apes and humans, spend long childhoods with their mothers, learning the social skills they need to function as emotionally stable members of their community. But orphaned bonobos at sanctuaries don’t have that kind of upbringing. Can they still learn the skills they need to get by in bonobo society? A study by Zanna Clay and Frans de Waal in PNAS found that the mother-infant bond is vital in developing healthy social and emotional skills. Help these mighty and intelligent primates when you shop and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
What, Why and Where of Black Leopards
Did you know that Black #leopards only differ from other leopards by the colour of their coat, a genetic variation that’s #recessive also known as melanism? One of their threats is #palmoil #deforestation. Help their survival be #vegan #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife in the supermarket
What’s my name? How wild parrots identify their young
Ground-breaking research has found that wild parrots teach their chicks unique sound signatures so that they can identify their parents. We are only just scratching the surface of knowledge about these immensely intelligent non-human beings, protect them! Be #Vegan and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
Monkey minds: what we can learn from primate personality
Did you know our primate cousins exhibit similar personality profiles to humans? Explore fascinating evolutionary research on primate social behaviour
Rainbow Cliffs: Why Parrots in the Amazon Eat Clay
Our world holds a whole host of glorious natural spectacles, from great starling murmurations to the ethereal display of coral reef spawning. But none is more thrilling than catching a glimpse of a majestic #macaw.
Screeching their way through the #Amazon rainforest, leaving scattered fruit, broken branches, and a considerable quantity of parrot poop in their wake, #parrots are simply animals like no other. But high in the treetops, flying far above the dense, dark foliage below, how can you ensure that you see their bright colours? A safe bet is to find a clay lick.
Inside the colourful world of animal vision
Want to hear something trippy? Unlike other aspects of an object such as its size or mass, colour is not an inherent property. Perceiving colour is a function of an organism’s sensory system. In other words, colour is a construct of the mind. But whose minds? Aside from the human experiences of colour, other-than-human eyes perceive colour in radically different ways.
The lengthy childhood of endangered orangutans is written in their teeth
Orangutan populations of all three species are critically endangered in the wild. One of the things that may hamper their survival is the time they take to rear new generations.
Just like human mothers, primate mothers raise only a few slow-growing offspring during their reproductive years. An orangutan mother will not give birth again until she’s finished providing milk to her previous offspring. Nursing can take a long time and vary across seasons, as found in research published in Science Advances. Help these beautiful and rare great apes to survive when you #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife in the supermarket!
Every Living Organism Has a Way of Communicating
Every living organism has a way of communicating. We may not be able to understand each other’s language. But its there and communication get passed from one organism to another. How do forests speak to us? If you have ever been into the woods and feel different ways nature talks to us. From the windContinue reading “Every Living Organism Has a Way of Communicating”
Gibbon song may be music to the ears of human language students
#Gibbons and humans have more in common than might immediately seem apparent. Among many behavioural traits shared by our two species is singing. Not just that – the songs of gibbons have the potential to teach us about the origin of our own human capacities. Many are threatened by #palmoil #deforestation 🌳✨ #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife 🎶Continue reading “Gibbon song may be music to the ears of human language students”
Palm Oil Detectives 