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November 19, 2008 12:37:16 AM CST

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Orangutans
In Trouble as Forests Shrink

Loggers, plantations bring great ape
close to extinction

Daily Telegraph (UK) Daily Telegraph (UK) Jul 5, 08 5:46 PM CDT
(Newser) - Illegal loggers and palm oil plantations may make the orangutan the first great ape to become extinct, scientists warn. In Indonesia, a mere 6,600 of the apes remain, while on Malaysia’s Borneo Island, the population has fallen 10% to 49,600, the Telegraph reports. More »

More about:  environment • endangered species • biofuel • Indonesia • Malaysia • apes • orangutans • palm oil

 Spain Passes Ape Rights Bill 

Seriously, parliament moves to protect 'non-human hominids'

Guardian (UK) Guardian (UK) Jun 26, 08 1:14 PM CDT
(Newser) - Spanish Parliament passed a resolution promising fundamental “human” rights to the great apes, the Guardian reports. The bill enjoys wide support and would ban scientific experimentation involving higher-level primates. Zoo exhibition will still be legal, but supporters say living conditions will improve significantly. The legislative body was inspired by philosopher Peter Singer’s Great Apes Project, a primate advocacy group. More »

More about:  Spain • animal rights • chimpanzees • parliament • gorilla • apes • orangutans

 Gibraltar to Kill Pesky Apes 

Famous wild monkeys terrorize tourists 

Associated Press Associated Press Apr 18, 08 5:27 AM CDT
(Newser) - Gibraltar has decided to kill a band of its famous Barbary apes that has been harassing tourists and residents, AP reports. The 25-strong group of renegade apes—actually large monkeys—has moved to a popular beach area where the animals have been stealing food and climbing into open windows. The British territory's tourism minister said the decision to kill the apes wasn't made lightly. More »

More about:  tourists • monkey • apes • Gibraltar • Barbary macaques

Laughter Also Good Medicine for Orangutans

Study finds empathy, mimicry in primates' grins and chuckles

BBC BBC Jan 2, 08 4:52 PM CST
(Newser) - Humans aren't the only animals who laugh, according to a new study. Orangutans engage in a primitive form of laughing, the BBC reports—when one exhibits a facial expression such as an open, gaping mouth, and a companion displays the same expression less than half a second later. This sense of empathy and mimicry is a key component of laughter. More »

More about:  apes • primates • orangutans • laughter • facial expressions

What's Baby Got That Chimps Don't?

Study pits toddlers against primates to see how human brains are different

Time Time Sep 7, 07 12:05 PM CDT
(Newser) - What makes humans smarter than their primate relatives? Into the ongoing debate comes a new study that concludes it's not just size, it's the particular kind of computing power. A study matching human toddlers with chimps and orangutans compared their performance on a battery of different kinds of tasks. The children were no better at "physical learning" —i.e. finding hidden objects—but miles ahead in "social learning." More »

More about:  children • baby • evolution • intelligence • chimpanzees • learning • apes

Orangutans Play Charades

Apes pay attention to whether they are being understood

BBC BBC Aug 2, 07 9:24 AM CDT
(Newser) - Orangutan communication works just like a game of charades, according to new research. Orangs and other apes who use signals to communicate what they want pay careful attention to whether their audience understands their gestures—if something works, they repeat it, and if they aren't getting through they try another signal. More »

More about:  language • communication • human evolution • apes • orangutans

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