Apes

Homo neanderthalensis, the earlier relatives of Homo sapiens, also evolved to shed most of their body hair.

Why Did Humans Lose Their Fur?

We are the naked apes of the world, having shed most of our body hair long ago

Orangutan mothers waited an average of seven minutes before alerting infants to a potential predator's presence

Orangutans Are the Only Non-Human Primates Capable of ‘Talking’ About the Past

Mothers waited several minutes before alerting offspring to potential predators, pointing toward capacity for displaced referencing

Ancient Ape Was Just the Size of a House Cat

12.5 million-year-old teeth found in Kenya belonged to a species that ate leaves, but was likely outcompeted by an explosion of monkeys

Male Gorillas That Babysit End Up With Larger Brood of Their Own

Male gorillas that participated in child-rearing were also more successful breeders

Chimps and Toddlers Use Same Gestures to Get Attention

A new study shows 12 to 24 month old children and chimps use 46 of the same movements to communicate, including stomping, pointing and clapping

Bonobos are known to make at least 38 distinct calls

Why Humans Are the Only Primates Capable of Talking

New study suggests ape vocalizations vary according to neural abilities, not vocal anatomy

This photograph of a Japanese macaque, who isn't showing its top teeth in a fear grimace or forced into human clothing, would be considered up to snuff.

Stock Photo Agencies Agree to Pull ‘Unnatural’ Images of Primates

PETA had lobbied against images that perpetuate harmful misconceptions about the animals

Extinct Gibbon Species Discovered in 2,000-Year-Old Chinese Tomb

It's believed the species represents a new genera of apes that may have died out just 300 years ago

Ali the Aardvark gets cozy as baby Winsol nurses at the Cincinnati Zoo. Ali is one of hundreds of animals whose milk samples are sent to the Smithsonian National Zoo’s milk repository for scientific research.

What Aardvark Milk Reveals about the Evolution of Lactation

Samples from the Smithsonian National Zoo’s Exotic Animal Milk Repository help scientists study the unifying trait of all mammals

The Touching Story Behind This Award-Winning Wildlife Image

Taken by Jo-Anne McArthur, the photo shows a rescued baby gorilla hugging her caretaker

A member of the new orangutan species, Pongo tapanuliensis.

Found: A New Species of Orangutan

But it's thought to be already critically endangered

Thirty-Three Migratory Species Get New Protections

Among the newly protected creatures are lions, chimpanzees, giraffes and whale sharks

Scientists found some of the physical imprints of Alzheimer's disease in the brains of elderly chimpanzees

Aging Chimps Show Signs of Alzheimer's Disease

Long been thought unique to humans, a new study suggests that our close ancestors exhibit some of the hallmarks of the illness

Not a birdbrain.

Like Humans and Apes, Ravens Can Plan for the Future

The birds were able to choose and hold onto a tool that could unlock an eventual reward

Are orangutans aware that others have different minds than their own?

Monkeys May Recognize False Beliefs—Knocking Over Yet Another Pillar of Human Cognition

Apes may be aware of the minds of others—yet another remarkable finding about the cognitive abilities of non-human animals

Getting to the Bottom of How Apes Think

Great apes show an ability to discern what others are thinking that we once only attributed to humans

Giant Pandas Are No Longer Endangered but Are Still in Danger

They aren't the only ones in trouble: the state of the great apes is more dire than ever

Can Great Apes Be Vaccinated Against Ebola and Other Diseases?

Vaccinations could be the best defense against devastating population drops

In this image, a chimp throws a rock at another chimp. But in West Africa, scientists think the animals may also ritualistically throw stones at hollow trees.

Chimps May Be Performing Rituals at “Shrine Trees”

Scientists think that chimps throwing and stacking stones at hollow trees may be evidence of early rituals

A mother bonobo and her offspring.

The Surprising Way Civil War Took Its Toll on Congo's Great Apes

Using satellite maps and field studies, scientists found that even small disturbances to the forest had big consequences for bonobos

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