Land Mammals, features and articles | Educational Science

Feb 2, 2017

Dutch Zoo Tests 'Tinder for Orangutans' Mating Program

Think of it like online dating, but for primates: A Dutch zoo is using a series of photographs on a screen to help one orangutan kick off the mating process. Breeding programs often involve international partnerships and long-distance travel of potential mates, so the Apenheul primate park in Apeldoorn, Netherlands,...

Feb 23, 2017

'Down Syndrome' in Chimps Seen for Only the Second Time

Researchers from Japan's Kyoto University have documented just the second case in chimpanzees of a genetic disorder similar to Down syndrome in humans. The chimp, a captive-born 24-year-old female named Kanako, has a third copy of chromosome 22, in a condition called trisomy 22. (In humans, Down syndrome is known...

Mar 14, 2017

Kind of a Big Deal: How King Kong Measures Up (Images)

Standing tall (Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)King Kong, the giant movie ape that first terrorized New York City in the film King Kong (RKO Pictures, 1933), gets a new origin story in Kong: Skull Island (Warner Bros., 2017). His height has fluctuated from movie to movie over the years —...

Mar 23, 2017

Photos: The Monkeys of Brazil's Atlantic Forest

Muriquis on Watch Two northern muriquis, or woolly spider monkeys (Brachyteles hypoxanthus) peer down from a tree in RPPN Feliciano Miguel Abdala, a protected reserve in southeastern Brazil. (Image credit: Carla Possamai/Muriqui Project of Caratinga)Two northern muriquis, or woolly spider monkeys (Brachyteles hypoxanthus) peer down from a tree in RPPN...

Mar 23, 2017

Hippie Monkeys Rebound as Yellow Fever Wipes Out a Competitor

A rapidly moving yellow fever virus that has killed thousands of brown howler monkeys in Brazil may be creating an opportunity for the monkeys' critically endangered competitor. Researchers are now studying how the northern muriquis, or woolly spider monkeys (Brachyteles hypoxanthus) — sometimes called hippie monkeys for their peaceful egalitarian...

Mar 24, 2017

NY Court Hears 'Personhood' Case for Caged Chimps

Should chimps have legal rights? A case debating the personhood of two captive male chimpanzees recently had its day in court, at the New York County Supreme Court's Appellate Division in the First Judicial Department. On March 17, judges heard arguments from Steven Wise, president of the Nonhuman Rights Project...

Mar 28, 2017

Facts About Marmosets

Marmosets are small monkeys that live high up in the canopies of South American rainforests. There are more than 20 species, and most could fit comfortably in an adult human's hand. Size & descriptionMarmosets have soft and silky hair, and many have tufts of hair or manes on either side...

May 4, 2017

Uncle Fatty: Obese Monkey Shows Dangers of Human Food

A morbidly obese macaque who lives near a floating market in Thailand is raising eyebrows for his sheer size. At about 33 lbs. (15 kilograms), the chubby monkey, dubbed Uncle Fatty by tourists in the park, dwarfs his average-size comrades, who typically weigh about between 13.2 and 15.4 lbs. (6...

May 17, 2017

Orangutans Nurse Their Babies For 8 Years

For American parents, breast-feeding past a year or two tends to be a fraught topic. Orangutan mamas, on the other hand, are in it for the long haul: New research finds that orangutan babies nurse for eight years or more. Though orangutans were known to be long-term lactaters, the new...

Jun 6, 2017

These Lab Chimpanzees Are Getting a 2nd Lease on Life

The chimps, which were raised in captivity and could not be released into habitats with wild chimpanzees, had been placed in a Liberian island sanctuary more than 10 years ago, after the NYBC ended the local research program that used the chimps to test a hepatitis B vaccine, in 2004....

Jun 8, 2017

Endangered Gorilla Gives Birth at Philadelphia Zoo

It's a boy! The Philadelphia Zoo recently welcomed a new addition to its gorilla family, with the help of doctors who normally treat humans. A gorilla labor is typically quick and does not cause distress to the mother, according to zoo officials. However, zookeepers noticed that first-time mom Kira's labor...

Jun 27, 2017

Monkey-Mapping Satellites Could Identify At-Risk Populations

In the Amazon rainforests that are home to hundreds of known species of monkeys — and likely more that have yet to be discovered — it can be extremely difficult for conservationists to track their numbers and monitor how they are affected by human activities such as hunting and deforestation....

Aug 15, 2017

Chimps Can Play Rock-Paper-Scissors at 4-Year-Old Level

Chimpanzees can learn how to play the game rock-paper-scissors about as well as a 4-year-old human child, a new study finds. This finding suggests that the last common ancestor of humans and chimps may have possessed the capability for the complex form of thinking used in the game, scientists said....

Sep 27, 2017

Mourning Mom? Macaque Carries Daughter's Mummified Corpse for 4 Weeks

Loss and grief can make people do strange things, but that's nothing compared to our cousins in the animal kingdom. Recently, in a wildlife park in Italy, one macaque mother named Evalyne whose newborn died after just five days spent four weeks carrying around the infant's mummified remains. In addition...

Sep 27, 2017

In Photos: Macaque Mother Cares For Mummified Corpse of Daughter

Mourning mother? (Image credit: Arianna De Marco)A Tonkean macaque (Macaca tonkeana) in Parco Faunistico di Piano dell'Abatino in Italy lost her newborn just five days after the little one was born. Evalyne, as she was called, spent four weeks carrying around the infant's mummified remains, even grooming the corpse and...