Bonobo builds a fire and toasts marshmallows - Monkey Planet: Preview - BBC One

[DeSwiss]

- While tool use among animals has been recorded for some time now, building fires has been left to the purview of humans.

Until now:

If McDonalds finds out about this, you can bet they'll be trying to replace their human workers as soon as possible.......

[jberryhill]

1. I'm surprised he didn't post this news himself

[DeSwiss]

2. She.

- Among Bonobos, it's the females who rule.

[xocet]

6. That notwithstanding, Kanzi is a male....

Bonobo
Pan paniscus
[hr]
SOCIAL ORGANIZATION AND BEHAVIOR

...

Males also associate with females for rank acquisition because females dominate the social environment. Females that have strong bonds keep males away from food and often attack males, biting off their fingers and toes (de Waal 1997). If a male is to achieve alpha status in a bonobo group, he must be accepted by the alpha female.

...

http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/entry/bonobo/behav

Kanzi
[hr]
Name means "treasure" in Swahili

Birthday: October 28, 1980

Born Where: Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center, Atlanta

Lived Where: Yerkes; Language Research Center at Georgia State University, Atlanta, 1980-
2005; Iowa Primate Learning Sanctuary of Iowa, 2005-present

Favorite Foods: Onions, cherries with orange soda

Favorite Toy: Green ball

Favorite Activities: Kanzi enjoys working in research trials and on puzzles that allow him to show his intelligence, as well as sorting items and grooming.

Favorite Game: Chase

What makes Kanzi unique?

Kanzi, the world’s undisputed ape-language superstar, was the first of his species to acquire language as children do: by being exposed to it. The first ape to demonstrate receptive competence of spoken English, Kanzi excels in research featuring novel sentences – that is, phrases that preclude the learning of specific responses. He also is adept at stone toolmaking, giving scientists insight into cognitive and biomechanical skills and constraints, and helping them better understand levels of skill in early prehistoric ancestors.

...

http://www.iowaprimatelearning.org/bonobos/bonobo_family/kanzi/

[jberryhill]

8. Be that as it may, the one who posts here is a he

[DeSwiss]

9. But can he build a fire?

- Or toast marshmallows and eat them without burning his tongue? That's the true test of an advanced species in my view.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

11. Ever try to peel a banana with your feet?

[bananas]

25. I've seen other people do it.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

27. Why did I just picture a mirror over your bed?

[jberryhill]

16. It's an open question in my book

[RainDog]

3. The big thing that separates humans and apes

is the number of cell divisions in the brain during development.

That's it. Same stuff. humans have 3x the number of cell divisions. This seems to be the difference in consciousness b/t us.

[tclambert]

23. The big thing that separates humans and apes

is they can't use language, they can't use tools, they can't make fire, they can't get a credit card. At least we still got the credit card thing.

I wish they'd hurry up and re-write Hamlet. I'm sick of that guy being such a dithering wuss.

[NYC_SKP]

4. Not to be confused with DU Member Bonobo, who also builds a fire and toasts marshmallows.

And I consider him a friend.

[jberryhill]

17. Post assumes facts not in evidence

[Junkdrawer]

5. ...all placental mammals have their brain hemispheres connected with a corpus callosum...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/101691331

If we admit our bodies underwent a smooth evolution, why not our brains/language games?

[Junkdrawer]

20. Seems once the capacity for language games passes a certain level of complexity...

"the number and complexity of these language games veritably explodes"...

I'll also bet that once these social creatures came to feel they were some part of one or another human tribe....

[Junkdrawer]

21. Next thing you know, they'll be asking for "Rights" for their "People"...

and shit like that...

[xocet]

7. Nice video! k & r n/t

[d_r]

10. why is it called

monkey planet?

[lovemydog]

12. Next - Smores!

[gordianot]

13. Watch out Iron Chef!

[catbyte]

14. Aren't these the same species of monkeys that took all those selfies a couple of years ago?

Bonobos are freaking awesome! I wonder if he toasted the other side of them, lol.

[trusty elf]

15. ............

[IMG][/IMG]

[catbyte]

18. THAT'S IT!

[KurtNYC]

19. The sequel: Bonobo tests own blood sugar levels, injects insulin

They taught this bonobo how to strike a match and eat GMO junk food. Ugh.

CW in the film business is that ALL wildlife documentarians feed their subjects. Sometimes they tie other animals up so that, for example, lions will attack them on camera, or they bring birch to the beavers and they bring marshmallows to this innocent bonobo.

Could have been worse. Could have been cigarettes (again).

[tclambert]

22. "Hello, Kanzi, my name is Bobby Flay. Are you ready to throw down?"

[libodem]

24. Ah ha "Shadowfires"

Was real. ( A Dean Koontz book I read some time ago)

[arcane1]

26. Cute! I was kinda hoping he'd rub sticks together or something

But I still love it

[AverageJoe90]

28. Probably trained, no doubt.

Still interesting, but no wild bonobo could really pull this off without sheer luck.