Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Tumblr Thread on Ape Sign Language Is a Feels Trip


There have been a few high profile cases of researchers teaching gorillas and chimps sign language. Here Tumblr shares some of the dark and incredible moments with different apes and ASL. For some more everyday moments of animal intelligence, here are the most creepily intelligent things peoples pets have done. For some interesting tumblr animal stuff, here's an informative thread on how cats became domesticated.

1.

Primate - Imagine all the things animals think and remember we have no clue because we don't speak the same language.. Michael the gorilla was taught sign language by Koko, the first signing gorilla. He began signing "Squash meat gorilla. Mouth tooth. Cry sharp-noise loud. Bad think-trouble look- face. Cut/neck lip (girl) hole." Researchers believed this was a description of the poaching death of his mother.

2.

Text - Washoe was a chimp who was taught sign language. One of Washoe's caretakers was pregnant and missed work for many weeks after she miscaried. Roger Fouts recounts the following situation: "People who should be there for her and aren't are often given the cold shoulder-her way of informing them that she's miffed at them. Washoe greeted Kat (the caretaker) in just this way when she finally retumed to work with the chimps. Kat made her apologies to Washoe, then decided to tell her the truth,

3.

Text - Washoe herself lost two children; one baby died shortly after birth of a heart defect, the other baby, Sequoyah, died of a staph infection at two months of age. after the death of her children, researchers were determined to have Washoe raise a baby and brought in a ten month chimpanzee named Loulis. one of the caretakers went to Washoe's enclosure and signed "i have a baby for you." Washoe became incredibly excited, yelling and swaying from side to side, signing "baby" over and over agai

4.

Text - the caretaker came back with Loulis, and Washoe's excitement disappeared entirely. she refused to pick Loulis up, instead signing "baby" apathetically; it was clear that the baby she thought she was getting was going to be Sequoyah. eventually Washoe did approach Loulis, and by the next day the two had bonded and from then on she was utterly devoted to him. "information shamelessly paraphrased from When Elephants Weep by Jeffrey Masson. Even more interestingly, after Washoe and Loulis bon

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