http://bootlessjane.livejournal.com/ (![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
bootlessjane.livejournal.com) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomhigh2011-07-21 07:40 am
bootlessjane.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2011-07-21 07:40 am
Entry tags:
Monkey Business; Thursday, Period Two [ 07/21 ].
The jungle classroom in the danger shop was set up as usual, back in Africa and, to be honest, more familiar territory to Jane, so the simulation was probably much more detailed due to her familiarity. "Welcome back, students!" she chirped. "I hope you've all been keeping yourselves warm this week; hopefully this little respite in the jungle for class should be some welcome warmth. Today, we're going to talk about probably one of the best known and perhaps best loved and most human-like of the primates, the chimpanzee."
"Often called a chimp for short, chimpanzee refers to two different species of ape, the Common Chimpanzee, or Pan troglodytes, and the Bonobo, or Pan paniscus; they are in the same family along with us humans, gorillas, and orangutans. Scientists estimate that they split from our branch of the family tree about four to six million years ago, but they still display a great deal of similar traits with humans, which may help explain why we not only are quite fascinated by the chimpanzee, but also why it is so much easier for us to understand and study them. They are most certainly our closest relative in the primate kingdom.
As she launched into the description of the primates, Jane began to fill the boards with words and diagrams and drawings. "The male common chimp is up to 1.7 metres high when standing, and weighs as much as 70 kilograms; the female is somewhat smaller. The common chimp’s long arms, when extended, have a span one and a half times as long as the body’s height and a chimpanzee's arms are longer than its legs. So one could say they're quite an armful! The bonobo is a little shorter and thinner than the common chimpanzee but has even longer limbs. Both species use their long, powerful arms for climbing in trees. On the ground, chimpanzees usually walk on all fours, using their knuckles for support with their hands clenched, a form of locomotion called knuckle-walking. Chimpanzee feet are better suited for walking than are those of the orangutan because the chimp’s soles are broader and the toes shorter. Both the common chimpanzee and bonobo can walk upright on two legs when carrying objects with their hands and arms. The bonobo has proportionately longer upper limbs and tends to walk upright more often than the common chimpanzee. The coat is dark; the face, fingers, palms of the hands, and soles of the feet are hairless; and the chimp has no tail. The exposed skin of the face, hands and feet varies from pink to very dark in both species, but is generally lighter in younger individuals, darkening as maturity is reached. A bony shelf over the eyes gives the forehead a receding appearance, and the nose is flat. Although the jaws protrude, the lips are thrust out only when a chimp pouts. The brain of a chimpanzee is about half the size of the human brain. But I am sure there are many who will insist that size does not matter a lick! And, besides, chimpanzees will make up for their smaller brain size with their larger testicles, developed to compensate for competition to mate in the wild and their polyandrous nature. They reach puberty somewhere between the ages of eight and ten years old, and, in the wild, will rarely live to be past forty years old.
"The Common Chimpanzee has an omnivorous diet, a troop hunting culture based on beta males led by an alpha male, and highly complex social relationships. The Bonobo, on the other hand, has a mostly frugivorous diet and an egalitarian, nonviolent, matriarchal, sexually receptive society. Bonobos are well known to have frequent intercourse, where bisexuality is normal for both males and females, and, if you would believe it, they also to use intercourse to help prevent and resolve conflicts. Different groups of chimpanzees also have different cultural behaviour with preferences for types of tools. The Common Chimpanzee tends to display higher levels of aggression than the Bonobo. Perhaps, though, considering their evening activities, that is just pent up sexual frustration."
Listen, Jane was Victorian. She was allowed to appreciate the full-on scandal of monkey sexual relations. Everyone needed an outlet.
"Chimpanzees live in large multi-male and multi-female social groups called communities. Within a community, there is a definite social hierarchy which is dictated by the position of an individual and the influence the individual has on others. Chimpanzees live in a leaner hierarchy in which more than one individual may be dominant enough to dominate other members of lower rank. Typically there is a dominant male referred to as the Alpha male. The Alpha male is the highest-ranking male who controls the group and maintains order during any disputes. In chimpanzee society the 'dominant male' does not always have to be the largest or strongest male but rather the most manipulative and political male who can influence the goings on within a group. Male chimpanzees typically attain dominance through cultivating allies who will provide support for that individual in case of future ambitions for power. The alpha male regularly displays by making his normally slim coat puffed up to increase view size and charge to look as threatening and as powerful as possible. This serves to intimidate other members in an attempt to hold on to power and maintain authority, and it may be fundamental to the alpha male's holding on to his status. Lower-ranking chimpanzees will show respect by making submissive gestures in body language or reaching out their hand while grunting. Female chimpanzees will show deference to the alpha male by presenting their hind-quarters.
"Female chimpanzees also have a hierarchy which is influenced by the position of a female individual within a group. In some chimpanzee communities, the young females may inherit high status from a high-ranking mother. The females will also form allies to dominate lower-ranking females. In contrast to males who have a main purpose of acquiring dominant status for access to mating privileges and sometimes violent domination of subordinates, females acquire dominant status for access to resources such as food. High-ranking females will often get first access to resources. In general, both genders acquire dominant status to improve social standing within a group.
"Do you see how I mean, that they are quite similar to their humans cousins?
"It is often the females who choose the alpha male, though. For a male chimpanzee to win the alpha status, he must gain acceptance from the females in the community. Females have to make sure that their group is going to places that supply them with enough food. In some cases, a group of dominant females will oust an alpha male who is not to their preference and rather back up the other male who they see potential of leading the group as a successful alpha male. So watch your back, boys!
"Chimpanzees have shown to be extremely intelligent, with the use of many tools and in the social structures just described. They have displayed sophisticated hunting strategies and have shown a knack for trickery and deception, as well. They have been able to use symbols to understand and communicate with humans and have even shown a capability to plan for future events or occurrences. They have continually been a prime example of primate cognition and continue to surprise and delight us with their intelligence as we study them further. They even display a great deal of familial altruism within their relatives; some chimps have even taken in orphaned babies as their own! This is usually seen from female chimpanzees; male chimpanzees have been known to take on orphaned babies that were unrelated to them, but, more often than not, they will kill the baby to prevent a future competition for power and females. They are very expressive in communication, with a variation of sounds, gestures, and facial expressions. Some primatologists of the twentieth century have even gone so far as to teach chimpanzees sign language, and then the chimpanzees pass that knowledge on to other chimps! I have for everyone a sign language alphabet; perhaps when we go see the chimps, you can give it a try and see for yourself!
"Well, really, let us not waste any more time and get to know these fascinating and clever primates up close and personal. Grab your packs and let's head on out into the jungle, unless there are any questions."
[[ OCDon the way is up! ]]
"Often called a chimp for short, chimpanzee refers to two different species of ape, the Common Chimpanzee, or Pan troglodytes, and the Bonobo, or Pan paniscus; they are in the same family along with us humans, gorillas, and orangutans. Scientists estimate that they split from our branch of the family tree about four to six million years ago, but they still display a great deal of similar traits with humans, which may help explain why we not only are quite fascinated by the chimpanzee, but also why it is so much easier for us to understand and study them. They are most certainly our closest relative in the primate kingdom.
As she launched into the description of the primates, Jane began to fill the boards with words and diagrams and drawings. "The male common chimp is up to 1.7 metres high when standing, and weighs as much as 70 kilograms; the female is somewhat smaller. The common chimp’s long arms, when extended, have a span one and a half times as long as the body’s height and a chimpanzee's arms are longer than its legs. So one could say they're quite an armful! The bonobo is a little shorter and thinner than the common chimpanzee but has even longer limbs. Both species use their long, powerful arms for climbing in trees. On the ground, chimpanzees usually walk on all fours, using their knuckles for support with their hands clenched, a form of locomotion called knuckle-walking. Chimpanzee feet are better suited for walking than are those of the orangutan because the chimp’s soles are broader and the toes shorter. Both the common chimpanzee and bonobo can walk upright on two legs when carrying objects with their hands and arms. The bonobo has proportionately longer upper limbs and tends to walk upright more often than the common chimpanzee. The coat is dark; the face, fingers, palms of the hands, and soles of the feet are hairless; and the chimp has no tail. The exposed skin of the face, hands and feet varies from pink to very dark in both species, but is generally lighter in younger individuals, darkening as maturity is reached. A bony shelf over the eyes gives the forehead a receding appearance, and the nose is flat. Although the jaws protrude, the lips are thrust out only when a chimp pouts. The brain of a chimpanzee is about half the size of the human brain. But I am sure there are many who will insist that size does not matter a lick! And, besides, chimpanzees will make up for their smaller brain size with their larger testicles, developed to compensate for competition to mate in the wild and their polyandrous nature. They reach puberty somewhere between the ages of eight and ten years old, and, in the wild, will rarely live to be past forty years old.
"The Common Chimpanzee has an omnivorous diet, a troop hunting culture based on beta males led by an alpha male, and highly complex social relationships. The Bonobo, on the other hand, has a mostly frugivorous diet and an egalitarian, nonviolent, matriarchal, sexually receptive society. Bonobos are well known to have frequent intercourse, where bisexuality is normal for both males and females, and, if you would believe it, they also to use intercourse to help prevent and resolve conflicts. Different groups of chimpanzees also have different cultural behaviour with preferences for types of tools. The Common Chimpanzee tends to display higher levels of aggression than the Bonobo. Perhaps, though, considering their evening activities, that is just pent up sexual frustration."
Listen, Jane was Victorian. She was allowed to appreciate the full-on scandal of monkey sexual relations. Everyone needed an outlet.
"Chimpanzees live in large multi-male and multi-female social groups called communities. Within a community, there is a definite social hierarchy which is dictated by the position of an individual and the influence the individual has on others. Chimpanzees live in a leaner hierarchy in which more than one individual may be dominant enough to dominate other members of lower rank. Typically there is a dominant male referred to as the Alpha male. The Alpha male is the highest-ranking male who controls the group and maintains order during any disputes. In chimpanzee society the 'dominant male' does not always have to be the largest or strongest male but rather the most manipulative and political male who can influence the goings on within a group. Male chimpanzees typically attain dominance through cultivating allies who will provide support for that individual in case of future ambitions for power. The alpha male regularly displays by making his normally slim coat puffed up to increase view size and charge to look as threatening and as powerful as possible. This serves to intimidate other members in an attempt to hold on to power and maintain authority, and it may be fundamental to the alpha male's holding on to his status. Lower-ranking chimpanzees will show respect by making submissive gestures in body language or reaching out their hand while grunting. Female chimpanzees will show deference to the alpha male by presenting their hind-quarters.
"Female chimpanzees also have a hierarchy which is influenced by the position of a female individual within a group. In some chimpanzee communities, the young females may inherit high status from a high-ranking mother. The females will also form allies to dominate lower-ranking females. In contrast to males who have a main purpose of acquiring dominant status for access to mating privileges and sometimes violent domination of subordinates, females acquire dominant status for access to resources such as food. High-ranking females will often get first access to resources. In general, both genders acquire dominant status to improve social standing within a group.
"Do you see how I mean, that they are quite similar to their humans cousins?
"It is often the females who choose the alpha male, though. For a male chimpanzee to win the alpha status, he must gain acceptance from the females in the community. Females have to make sure that their group is going to places that supply them with enough food. In some cases, a group of dominant females will oust an alpha male who is not to their preference and rather back up the other male who they see potential of leading the group as a successful alpha male. So watch your back, boys!
"Chimpanzees have shown to be extremely intelligent, with the use of many tools and in the social structures just described. They have displayed sophisticated hunting strategies and have shown a knack for trickery and deception, as well. They have been able to use symbols to understand and communicate with humans and have even shown a capability to plan for future events or occurrences. They have continually been a prime example of primate cognition and continue to surprise and delight us with their intelligence as we study them further. They even display a great deal of familial altruism within their relatives; some chimps have even taken in orphaned babies as their own! This is usually seen from female chimpanzees; male chimpanzees have been known to take on orphaned babies that were unrelated to them, but, more often than not, they will kill the baby to prevent a future competition for power and females. They are very expressive in communication, with a variation of sounds, gestures, and facial expressions. Some primatologists of the twentieth century have even gone so far as to teach chimpanzees sign language, and then the chimpanzees pass that knowledge on to other chimps! I have for everyone a sign language alphabet; perhaps when we go see the chimps, you can give it a try and see for yourself!
"Well, really, let us not waste any more time and get to know these fascinating and clever primates up close and personal. Grab your packs and let's head on out into the jungle, unless there are any questions."
[[ OCD
Re: Talk to Jane - Monkey Business, 07/21.
"Oh, goodness!" said Jane, a little wide eyed before she waved a hand dismissively. "Please, I should not presume to be a professor; Professor Porter is my father. Miss Porter should suffice just fine. I take it you're the missing Mr. Darling, then? And a monkey? Truly? Might I asked which kind?"
Re: Talk to Jane - Monkey Business, 07/21.
He fished his phone out of his pocket and fiddled with it for a moment before showing Jane a photo of himself as a tuft-eared marmoset. "A monkey like that. I don't know what it's called, but I'm kind of digging the... ear sideburn things."
Re: Talk to Jane - Monkey Business, 07/21.
Excuse Jane a moment of unprofessionalism as she leaned over to have a little look at the picture and immediately recognized the type. "Why, that looks like the Callithrix jacchus, a marmoset! They're natives of South America so I've never had the chance to really see one up close and in person. Oh, it's such a shame you weren't able to make it into class; it would have been such a treat for everyone!"