Posts

Showing posts from August, 2022

Research Adventures in Japan Chapter 9: A Summer Well Spent

Image
 Konichiwa and sorry for the MAJOR delay in my final update. For some reason it took me a bit longer to adjust to being back than it did for me being gone! Research Update   We collected data from pileated and white-handed gibbons. They quickly became one of my favorites (I don't think they overtook ring-tailed lemurs but it's a solid tie!)! These gentle apes were full of curiosity and personality. We had storms come through during data collection two of the days and not a single of the seven gibbons I worked with would stay out in the rain with me for some peanuts. Every single one of them retreated to the trees while I got soaked! They were a great species for me to end my research on but we're hoping the study will continue with the help of current JMC staff and future students! It was so great working Drs. Hayahsi, Tomonaga, Shintaku, plus all of the great staff at the JMC, so thank you so much to all of them!!! This was one of the first buildings I saw when I got into ...

Research Adventures in Japan Chapter 8: Swinging in Toward the Finish Line

Image
 Konichiwa and thanks for sticking with me until week 8! I will be flying out of the country next Thursday so there will only be one more update! Research Update   We continue working with the chimpanzees but they are less interested in the tasks than the other species. We have started preparing to test gibbons, another ape species. Gibbons are really interesting because they are the most speciose ape genus (~16 species) and they are the only one that uses brachiation (swinging from arm to arm -- they'd be awesome at monkey bars!) as their main mode of travel. So they don't get in the way, their thumbs are very small. A siamang infant and her parents. JMC Within the same family as gibbons are siamangs. They're built very similarly to gibbons but are larger and have throat sack that help them sing! The main topic of their songs "It's my territory and I can cry if I want to" or something like that...The main purpose of their songs is to establish their territory...