Primates

Primates

A black-capped squirrel monkey eats in a tree.

These monkeys are the world’s best yodellers, and we have the footage to prove it

Scientists have dubbed their calls 'ultra-yodels'
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A gorilla stood in grass.

Is it true that gorillas are permanently flatulent?

Better out than in, right?
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Godzilla vs. Kong: A scientist decides who would really win © Alamy

Godzilla vs. Kong: Here's who'd actually win in a fight, according to science

Vertebrate zoologist Darren Naish uses what we know about primates and reptiles in the real world to declare a real winner.
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What is a buffy-tufted marmoset? © Daniel Sotto Maior

What is a buffy-tufted marmoset?

These pint-sized primates live high in the mountains of Brazil's Atlantic rainforest and are at risk of extinction.
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Monkeys that play together, stay together ©Getty Images

Monkeys use playtime to help resolve conflict

Adult howler monkeys engage in play to reduce tension in the group when foraging for precious fruit.
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Chimpanzees seen treating one other’s wound using ‘medicinal’ insects © Tobias Deschner

Chimpanzees seen treating one another’s wounds using ‘medicinal’ insects

The behaviour suggests that the apes are capable of a feeling similar to empathy in humans, researchers say.
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Apes have their own way of showing commitment to one another © Getty Images

What's Ape: Chimps say hello and goodbye when they meet, just like us

Apes make specific gestures before starting to groom each other, which researchers say is similar to what we consider as 'social etiquette' or 'politeness' before sitting down to eat.
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Baboons wearing FitBits show that taking toddlers anywhere is difficult no matter your species © CARTER LOFTUS / MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE OF ANIMAL BEHAVIOR

Baboons wearing fitness trackers show that taking toddlers anywhere is a nightmare no matter your species

As new research shows, when it comes to moving as a group, it seems everyone has to make a compromise.
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Why the Tarsier is one of nature’s strangest creatures © Getty

Why the Tarsier is one of nature’s strangest creatures

No, this isn’t Dobby the house elf, but one of the world’s most unique primates.
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Tamarin monkeys copy other species' accents to avoid conflict © Viviane Costa/ PA

Tamarin monkeys copy other species' accents to avoid conflict

Red-handed tamarin monkeys mimic the calls of pied tamarins when they enter their territory, a study reveals.
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Female orangutans are mummy’s girls © Caroline Schuppli

Female orangutans are mummy’s girls

Young female orangutans direct their attention towards their mothers while males prefer the company of others.
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Gorillas beat their chest to prove who is the bigger foe © Getty Images

Gorillas beat their chest to prove who is the bigger foe

It's thought that gorillas beat their chests to show off their size and strength, intimidate their rivals and attract females.
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Monkey Island macaques joined together for support after Hurricane Maria © Lauren Brent/University Of Exeter

Monkey Island macaques joined together for support after Hurricane Maria

Rhesus macaques living in Cayo Santiago also became more tolerant of each other.
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Lab-grown ‘organoids’ reveal why humans have such big brains © Getty Images

Lab-grown ‘organoids’ reveal why humans have such big brains

Humans' brains contain up to three times as many neurons as those of gorillas or chimpanzees.
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Could an ape play rock, paper, scissors? © Getty Images

Could an ape play rock, paper, scissors?

Asked by: Pad Scanlon, London
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World’s most threatened orangutan species ‘in more trouble than previously thought ©Andrew Walmsley, PA News

World’s most threatened orangutan species ‘in more trouble than previously thought’

The rare primate was already classified as critically endangered when it was first identified in 2017.
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Ageing chimpanzees choose old friends over new connections © Getty Images

Ageing chimpanzees choose old friends over new connections

Much like humans, chimps' friendships change over the course of their lifetime.
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Key language ability 'existed in ancient primate ancestors' © Getty Images

Key language ability 'existed in ancient primate ancestors'

Researchers say understanding relationships between words in a sentence is a trait that evolved at least 30 million years ago.
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South African vets scan huge gorilla © Getty Images

South African vets take CT scan of 210kg gorilla

How do you look up a 210kg gorilla’s nose? Carefully...
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Evolution of primate larynx faster than in other mammals © Getty Images

Evolution of primate larynx faster than in other mammals

The findings could help in better understanding vocal communication amongst primates – including humans.
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Gorillas make fewer close friendships in large groups © Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund/PA

The bigger the groups, the weaker the friendships

By better understanding these social relationships, we can better understand how diseases would spread through these social groups.
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Realistic animations can help to beat the ‘Uncanny Valley’ effect in monkeys © Getty Images

Realistic animations can help to beat the ‘Uncanny Valley’ effect in monkeys

Rhesus monkeys were more willing to look at the natural-looking animated faces than ones without fur or in grayscale.
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Human speech has 'ancient roots within primate communication' © Dr Catherine Hobaiter/University of St Andrews

Human speech has 'ancient roots within primate communication'

Chimpanzee lip smacks follow the rhythm of human speech, a study has found.
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