and stealth to take down deer peccary monkeys birds frogs fish alligators and small rodents. If wild food is scarce these large cats will also hunt domestic livestock.
Can a chimpanzee too full of himself put himself at risk by ignoring social cues from others who are not as taken with him?
The success of Rwanda s and Uganda s mountain gorilla ecotourism ventures shows that ecotourists are certainly willing to pay a premium to observe rare species in their natural habitat Madagascar can provide that in spades.
Lemurs are a primate found naturally only in Madagascar the world s fourth largest island located about 250 miles off the coast of southern Africa.
One of the World s Most Endangered Primates In 2012 the International Union for the Conservation of Nature described 91 percent of the 103 known species and subspecies of lemurs as threatened with extinction;
Owl Monkeys Are Caring Fathers Too Wright partners with Malagasy villagers to develop conservation strategies that are scientifically sound
My Quest to Understand the Monkeys of the Night (Lantern Books: 2013). ) Name: Patricia Wrightinstitution:
and behavior of spider monkeys but not until today have I been able to claim such a huge victory for a place
and it's already starting to change These protected areas are vital to ensure that species like those spider monkeys I studied have plenty of forest habitat
Nonhuman primates and other wild animals rarely get dental diseases Warinner said which raises the question What is it about humans that allows these pathogens to grow?
I would sit in front of the primate exhibits for hours and watch their behavior it was exciting to see up close
Ainara Sistiaga a graduate student at the University of La Laguna in Spain who led the investigation as a visiting student at the Massachusetts institute of technology said the results aren't all that surprising as Neanderthals are primates
and most primates are omnivores. We cannot say anything about what kind of plants they were actually eating
whose dedicated work with chimpanzees has helped to promote the field of conservation in countless ways.
#Gorgeous Faces Keep Guenon monkeys from Sleeping around With bushy beards and funky blue yellow or brown faces guenon monkeys have some of the most colorful and quirky faces of all primates.
A close study of more than 20 guenon monkey species reveals these sociable animals may rely on their distinctive patterns to prevent interbreeding.
and we think guenons are using their patterns to recognize different species said study lead author William Allen of the University of Hull in the United kingdom. Guenon monkeys live in the forests of Central
Sometimes called cheek pouch monkeys most guenons are the size of cats and dogs and they forage in large groups of two
and whistles but the monkeys learn other species'warning calls like a foreign language providing protection for all groups.
Adorable Guenon monkey Faces There are as many as 35 guenon monkey species and spending so much time with other friendly monkeys means running the risk of interbreeding.
If guenons mate across species their offspring might be infertile or less healthy similar to when donkeys and horses breed Allen said.
Guenons can interbreed in zoos but rarely do so in the wild. For decades many researchers have thought that guenons'unusual fur
and facial features were meant to send I'm different signals to other monkeys. However while there are many examples of wild creatures signaling with skin patterns
and colors such as the bright red patch on the abdomens of black widow spiders scientists have had little success actually proving these patterns are a means of species-wide communication in the guenons Allen said.
To show that the these monkeys speak to each other with their stylish fur Allen relied on facial recognition software.
He photographed more than 150 guenons both wild monkeys living in Africa and individuals in zoos and preserves.
Then he analyzed how facial patterns differed among monkeys within a guenon species as well as how the patterns differed among species. Allen said he thinks the software algorithm recognizes facial features in a manner similar to how the guenon monkeys do it.
It turns out the facial patterns are remarkably similar within a guenon monkey species. That is all guenon monkeys are alike
if they are the same species . But each different species has developed its own dramatic flair
The researchers suspect that the close living style of the guenon species combined with repeated expansion
and contraction of the monkeys'forest habitat drove the development of their incredible facial diversity.
Researchers studying primates in South america have discovered a similar pattern with more-complex facial features among primates who need to quickly recognize members of their own species. Email Becky Oskin
In a new study scientists transplanted hearts from genetically engineered pigs into baboons whose immune systems had been suppressed to prevent them from rejecting the transplants.
The researchers implanted hearts from these pigs into the abdomens of baboons without replacing the monkeys'original hearts but still connecting the pig hearts to the baboons'circulatory system.
The transplanted hearts survived in the baboons for more than 500 days with the baboons taking immunosuppressive drugs the researchers reported.
The next step will be to perform transplants that replace the baboons'hearts with the genetically engineered pig hearts.
if they show that the process works in baboons Mohiuddin said. Besides the heart other tissues could also potentially be transplanted from animals to humans including the liver kidneys pancreas
#Monkeys: Facts, Types & Pictures Monkeys live all over the world and come in various shapes sizes and colors.
As one of our closest relatives these mammals are very intelligent and have opposable thumbs allowing them to use tools and play games.
There are more than 260 different types of monkeys. They are separated into two major categories: New world and Old world.
The New world monkeys live in The americas while Old world monkeys live in Asia and Africa. One difference between the two categories is that Old world monkeys don't have prehensile tails;
New world monkeys do. Old world monkeys have special pouches in their cheek where they can store food. Old world monkeys have rump pads
but New world monkeys do not. Also Old world monkeys'nostrils are curved small and and set close together; most New world monkeys have round nostrils set far apart.
Monkeys are varied as in shape and size as humans. The world's smallest monkey is the pygmy marmoset according to the University of Wisconsin.
It weights only around 4 ounces (113 grams) and is only around 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) tall.
The world's largest monkey is the mandrill. It weights around 77 pounds (35 kilograms)
and is around 3 feet (1 meter) tall. Many people think that monkeys just eat bananas
but that isn't true. Monkeys are omnivores. This means that they eat meat and plant-based foods.
Most monkeys eat nuts fruits seeds and flowers. Some monkeys also eat meat in the form of bird's eggs small lizards insects and spiders.
Most monkeys live in trees but there are some that live in savannas or mountain areas. Monkey tribes stay on the move to find food so one location isn't home for very long.
Monkeys are very social creatures. Groups of monkeys are called missions tribes troops or cartloads. A troop will work together to take care of the young monkeys in the group.
They also like to play cuddle and protect each other. The strongest and largest of the male monkeys is the leader of the troop.
In monkey genus groups that practice polygyny the leader will mate with multiple females. The gestation periods for monkeys vary depending on the genus. For example the gestation for a rhesus monkey is 164 days Baboons have a similar gestation period of around 187 days.
Chimps on the other hand have a much longer gestation period of around 237 days according to the San jose State university.
Once born baby monkeys are cared primarily for by their mother. If the monkeys are monogamous the baby monkey may be cared for by both parents.
Many times a young monkey will ride on its mother's back or hang from her neck.
The baby is considered an adult between four and five years old. The taxonomy of a monkey depends on
what type of money it is. The higher categories are the same for all monkeys:
After order the classifications become specific to the type of monkey. Here are some example classifications for two types of monkeys.
Pygmy marmoset Howler monkey While many monkey species are not in danger there are some that are very close to extinction.
For example there are only 150 Tonkin Snub-nosed monkeys in existence. Another monkey on the list is the Tana River Red Colobus.
There are fewer than 1000 of these monkeys left in the world. Both are listed on the 25 Most Endangered Primates list published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission Primate Specialist Group.
The Hainan Black-Crested Gibbon is considered one of the most critically endangered species. There are only 20 of these monkeys left in the world.
If there is a lack of food female monkeys will stop mating until there are better circumstances for getting pregnant.
Even when conditions are right a mother will only give birth once every two years. Proboscis monkeys only eat unripe fruit.
This is because the sugars in ripe fruit ferment. The fermentation causes bloating in the stomach that can kill them.
According to NASA the first living creature in space was named a rhesus monkey Albert I. His launch took place in White sands New mexico on June 11 1948.
The bright blue and red colors on a mandrill's face get brighter when they are excited.
They also have pouches in their cheeks where they store food for snacks. When a troop of howler monkeys yell they can be heard for up to three miles.
Grinning or pulling the lip is a sign of aggression in monkeys along with yawning head bobbing
and jerking the head and shoulders forward. Monkeys express affection and make peace with others by grooming each other.
South american Titi monkeys are rare among primates because they mate for life. They show affection by grooming each other intertwining their tails holding hands cuddling and lip smacking.
Capuchins are skilled tool users. They can smash nuts with rocks insert branches into crevices to capture food and use large branches to club snakes.
They are used often in lab experiments because of their intelligence. A spider monkey is named after its long tail and lengthy spidery limbs.
These monkeys can quickly walk on two legs across a tree branch. Old world monkeys and humans share a common ancestor.
Scientists say the evolutionary split may have occurred between 20 and 30 million years ago. Nina Sen contributed to this article e
#The Navajo Nation s Shifting Sands of Climate Change The Front lines of Climate Change: Global warming is by definition global
but the impacts of climate change touch everyone on a local level. How each community responds depends on its unique mix of people and geography.
This story is part of a Climate Central series that looks at how communities are facing the challenges ahead.
FARMINGTON N m. Cindy Dixon was unloading bales of hay into a metal shed on a blustery afternoon in Mid-march
when the landscape around her Navajo Reservation homestead was as brown and bleak as the open-pit coal mine a few miles to the west and well within earshot.
Normally Dixon s sheep would subsist on the flora of the sandy desert floor but this winter was
so dry that there was no forage for them to eat.##oesince it s all dry
and bare and deserted no vegetation I have to constantly buy hay and grain to keep the sheep fed#Dixon said looking at the land around her trailer.
This is a bad bad area for livestock.##Dixon s northwest New mexico homestead has neither electricity nor running water.
She and her sheep breathe the coal dust blowing in the warm dry air across the desiccated late-winter landscape where the brush of the desert floor appeared as lifeless as the dirt underfoot.
Navajo people raising livestock in one of the poorest regions of the U s. during the Southwest s 20-year drought have to shell out more and more money to keep their traditions of living close to the land alive.#
#oei have to keep buying hay grain and salt blocks#Dixon said. It s gotten really expensive each year.
It gets me in a financial bind. Sometimes I don t have much left for our own grocery.
Dixon s plight is isolated hardly to her homestead. Drought touches every place in the Southwest.
#Gorilla Facts Gorillas are large apes that are native to Africa. They are divided typically into two groups.
The mountain gorilla lives in the mountainous regions of Central africa while the lowland gorilla lives in the flat dense forests of central and western Africa.
Though the two types are very similar they have a few differences. For example mountain gorillas tend to have longer hair
whereas lowland gorillas have short soft hair according to the Smithsonian. Another difference is size. Lowland gorillas are 4 to 6 feet (1. 2 to 1. 8 meters) tall
and weigh 150 to 400 lbs. 68 to 181 kilograms. Mountain gorillas are about the same height
though they tend to weigh a bit more. They are 4 to 6 feet tall and weigh 300 to 485 lbs.
135 to 220 kg. According to the World Wildlife Federation& (WWF) gorillas are the world's largest primate.
Mountain gorillas live in Rwanda Uganda and the Democratic republic of the congo on green volcanic mountains. Lowland gorillas live in the forests of central and western Africa in Equatorial guinea Angola Cameroon the Central african republic Congo Gabon and the Democratic republic of the congo.
A group of gorillas can have a territory of up to 16 square miles (41 square kilometers) according to National geographic. Gorillas are generally herbivores.
They usually eat vegetation such as wild celery shoots roots fruit tree bark and tree pulp but they have been known to eat small animals and insects.
A male can eat up to 40 lbs. 18 kg) of vegetation each day. Gorillas'exact diet depends on where they live.
According to Sea world about 67 percent of a lowland gorilla's diet is fruit; 17 percent comes from leaves seeds and stems;
and 3 percent comes from termites and caterpillars. The mountain gorilla eats a diet that is about 86 percent leaves shoots and stems;
7 percent roots; 3 percent flowers; 2 percent fruit; and 2 percent snails ants and grubs.
Gorillas live in groups. Groups of gorillas are called troops or bands. A band of gorillas can have as many as 50 members
though sometimes a band consists of as few as two members. Troops are led by a dominant male called a silverback
which can often be identified by a gray strip of hair on his back. Each time of day has its purpose for a troop of gorillas.
Mornings and evenings are designated as feeding time. In the middle of the day gorillas take a nap play with other gorillas or groom one another.
At night the gorillas settle down in beds made from leaves and twigs to sleep. Like humans female gorillas are pregnant for nine months
and usually give birth to only one infant at a time. Newborn gorillas weigh about 4 lbs. 1. 8 kg.
From the time they're about 4 months to 2 or 3 years old young gorillas ride on their mothers'backs as a form of transportation.
At around 7 to 10 years the young gorilla will become mature enough to have its own offspring.
At this point the gorilla will leave its mother's group to find a mate.
Gorillas can live around 35 years in the wild and more than 50 years in zoos according to the WWF.
The taxonomy of gorillas according to the Integrated Taxonomic Information system (ITIS) is: Kingdom: Animaliasubkingdom: Bilateria Infrakingdom:
Deuterostomia Phylum: Chordatasubphylum: Vertebratainfraphylum: Gnathostomata Superclass: Tetrapoda Class: Mammalia Subclass: Theria Infraclass: Eutheria Order: Primates Suborder:
Haplorrhini Infraorder: Simiiformessuperfamily: Hominoideafamily: Hominidae Subfamily: Homininaegenus & species: Gorilla gorilla gorilla beringeisubspecies: Gallery: Great apes: All 4 Gorilla Subspecies The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the Gorilla beringei species (mountain gorillas
and Eastern lowland gorillas) as endangered on its Red List of Threatened Species. They are hunted and their habitat has been destroyed by mining and agriculture.
IUCN estimates that there are about 680 mountain gorillas left in two isolated populations. While data are lacking to determine the population of Eastern lowland gorillas the IUCN says it is believed that the total population has decreased dramatically.
According to the IUCN the Gorilla gorilla species (Western lowland gorillas and Cross River gorillas) is endangered critically with a population reduction of more than 80 percent over three generations (a generation is about 22 years.
It is unknown exactly how many of these gorillas are left. The WWF estimates that there are about 100000 lowland gorillas still in existence.
Gorillas'arms are longer than their legs. This allows them to walk on all four limbs
while still remaining somewhat upright. These primates are very intelligent. They can use simple tools
and learn sign language. Gorilla beds are called nests. Young gorillas often make their nests in trees
and older gorillas make their nests on the ground. Gorillas usually don't need to drink water from lakes or streams.
They get all of the moisture they need from their food and morning dew
#Oranges: Health Benefits, Risks & Nutrition Facts Sweet juicy oranges make a delicious and healthy snack or addition to a meal.
A whole orange contains only about 85 calories and has no fat cholesterol or sodium.
And of course oranges are well known for their Vitamin c content said Laura Flores a San diego-based nutritionist.
Oranges may boost your immune system and improve your skin; they also aid with heart health cholesterol levels and other issues.
Oranges may additionally help reduce the risk of respiratory diseases certain cancers rheumatoid arthritis ulcers and kidney stones.
Orange juice is packed also with nutrients but does not contain the fiber of a whole orange.
Orange pith the white substance between the peel and the flesh is high in fiber.
Furthermore it is easy to consume more calories when drinking orange juice than when eating an orange warns the Centers for Disease Control.
Here are the nutrition facts about oranges from the U s. Food and Drug Administration which regulates food labeling through the National Labeling and Education Act:
it marked the virus's first known foray outside primates, and raised fears of a potential threat to human health.
The Ebola Reston virus was discovered first, in 1989, in crab-eating macaques imported to the United states from the Philippines.
Since then, the virus has killed most infected monkeys, yet had no effect on the 25 people that it infected unlike three of the four other strains of Ebola,
Because few people come into close contact with primates in the Philippines, the risk of catching Ebola Reston in this way is relatively low.
similar to its mode of attack in monkeys. Further pathology tests are due to begin in spring at the Australian Animal health Laboratory in Geelong, Victoria.
as is the case with monkeys, the infections resulted from contact with a reservoir of the virus,
It may be possible to create hybrid embryos using human somatic cells and eggs from nonhuman primates,
but primate eggs are also in short supply, says Lanza. Although Hui Zhen Sheng from the Shanghai Second Medical University in China and her colleagues have reported creating human-rabbit embryos (Y. Chen et al.
including mice, miniature pigs, ferrets and macaques. In all but the pig, the virus yields an infection in the lungs that is more severe than would be expected from an average seasonal flu, according to Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his colleagues,
Kawaoka's team observed this virulence in mice and macaques as well, but pigs showed no outward signs of disease
Nevertheless, one alarming feature of the macaque results was the development of severe pneumonia that extended throughout the lungs, notes Earl Brown, a virologist at the University of Ottawa.
Ardi may be more ape than human: Nature Newsa fight has broken out over attempts to drag'Ardi'-the oldest hominid skeleton found-out of the woods where her discoverers say she lived.
whether the species found in the Rift valley of the Afar of Ethiopia is an ape or hominid.
but not knuckle-walking like a chimpanzee. While the opposing points of view are being argued vigorously this week in Science,
because the fossil probably predates the divergence between humans and apes, which he estimates as 3 to 5 million years ago2.
whether she is in the ape or human lineage, says Sarmiento, who conducts research from home in East Brunswick,
Ape deaths solved Japan's premier primate research centre says it has identified the cause of the mysterious series of deaths of its Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) that had puzzled researchers
) The Primate Research Institute of Kyoto University reported on its website on 11 november that the culprit was simian retrovirus-4 (SRV-4). The problem emerged
when the institute housed southeast Asian crab-eating macaques (Macaca fascicularis), which are natural carriers of the virus, with Japanese macaques.
The report said the virus had never been passed to humans. Events Cholera in Haiti The escalating cholera epidemic in Haiti had claimed more than 900 lives
Ward's team found that Lucy's metatarsal was more like that of a modern human than a chimpanzee.
For the tree-dwelling chimpanzee, the fourth metatarsal lies flatter against the ground, and the middle of the foot is mobile.
This flat-footed structure grants chimpanzees tremendous flexibility and allows them to grasp branches in trees.
whether A. afarensis had a flexible foot like a chimpanzee or a more humanlike arched one.
many had speculated that the species had feet that were something of a compromise between those of chimpanzees and humans.
Events Primate peril Employees at a major US primate-research centre and the animals it houses, all survived unscathed a massive chemical explosion at a nearby plant on 14 june.
The New Iberia Research center in Louisiana holds 6, 500 macaques and 360 chimpanzees. Some 1, 900 rhesus and pigtail macaques were housed within 350 metres of a fire and multiple explosions at the Multi-Chem facility in New Iberia,
but none seemed to be harmed; they are now being monitored for stress and other adverse affects.
traditional bushmeat species such as apes and antelope are no longer easily available owing to over-hunting and, in some cases,
Chimp research Most biomedical research on chimpanzees is"unnecessary, the US Institute of Medicine found in a report released on 15 december.
The report means that research using chimps that is funded by the US government will be curtailed sharply.
where director Francis Collins said that"something like 50%of the agency's roughly 37 projects involving chimps would be phased out
Monkey genetics track social statusimagebroker/FLPAGROOMING is one way in which rhesus macaques show deference and curry favour.
and her colleagues studied 49 captive female rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). At the start of the study, all the animals had a medium social rank,
The researchers divided the monkeys into ten new groups, where their social ranks changed. Typically, the first animal assigned to a group had the highest ranking and the last the lowest,
Tung and her colleagues analysed blood samples from the monkeys for differences in gene expression. Of the 6, 097 genes tested
Increased activity in immune-system genes, particularly those related to inflammation, was twice as common among low-ranking monkeys as would be expected by chance.
although the study did not look at the monkeys'health. The changes did not seem permanent.
Analysing samples from seven monkeys that changed rank a second time when other animals entered the group showed that their gene expression responded rapidly,
but this is the first study to look at nonhuman primates, says Tung. Research has shown also the health consequences of low social status on both animals and humans.
The results of the macaque study are"potentially highly relevant to humans because they confirm that health depends on social status,
The macaque study suggests potential mechanisms for the Whitehall study's findings, Marmot adds. The link between genes and social status may be more difficult to tease out in humans than in monkeys,
says Tung, owing to the greater complexity of our society. The monkey experiment is an"important study,
says Dario Maestripieri, a behavioural biologist at the University of Chicago, Illinois. But, he adds,
and is hoping to examine how social rank affects the macaques'susceptibility to infection
Million-year-old ash hints at origins of cookinggreatstock Photographic Library/Alamythe plant and animal ash was found thirty metres inside the Wonderwerk Cave beyond the reach of a lightning strike.
Only three species (two small monkeys and one armadillo) are still present across the region.
Chandrayaan-1. Primate transport Air china said on 31 Â July that it would stop shipments of nonhuman primates for research.
which has led to many major air carriers refusing to fly primates bound for research centres (see Nature 483,381-382;
) PETA says that China Eastern is the only major airline now known to be flying primates out of China the country that last year transported more than 70%of the primates bound for US labs. See go. nature. com/ckhq93
Arctic drilling stops Plans to drill for oil and gas resources off the coast of Alaska have been abandoned following damage to oil containers on the spill-cleanup barge Arctic Challenger,
The setback means that the mission no longer meets the safety requirements for a permit to drill specific wells. Shell will continue to bore exploratory top holes in the Chukchi sea in preparation for further drilling,
Chimp research cut The US National institutes of health (NIH) is ending its funding for chimpanzee work at the largest centre for such research that it supports.
The agency will retire 110 Â chimpanzees from the New Iberia Research center, part of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette,
There are still 308 Â chimpanzees available for invasive experiments at two other NIH-supported centres;
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