Primate Palate: Orangutans, Obesity, and Human Evolution
How can studying what orangutans eat help us better understand the obesity epidemic in humans? Dr. Erin Vogel shares her research on wild orangutans in the tropical forests of Sumatra and Borneo, illuminating how their diet, behavior, and metabolism can provide insights into the human condition.
Primate Palate: Orangutans, Obesity, and Human Evolution
How can studying what orangutans eat help us better understand the obesity epidemic in humans? Dr. Erin Vogel shares her research on wild orangutans in the tropical forests of Sumatra and Borneo, illuminating how their diet, behavior, and metabolism can provide insights into the human condition.
Follow the Leader?
Every animal that lives in groups has to make decisions as a group. Even a seemingly simple decision like "where should we go for dinner?" can be complicated to negotiate.
From the Field: Claudia Wilke
Claudia Wilke
Claudia Wilke is a PhD candidate at the University of York in the United Kingdom. She was awarded a Leakey Foundation research grant during our fall 2013 cycle for her project entitled “Are cooperative chimpanzees more communicative (Kibale Forest, Uganda)?” Here she gives us an update on her field season and how her research is progressing.
My time
Baboons prefer to spend time with others of the same age, status, and personality
New research funded in part by The Leakey Foundation shows that chacma baboons within a troop spend more of their time with baboons that have similar characteristics to themselves: associating with those of a similar age, dominance rank and even personality type such as boldness. This is known as homophily, or ‘love of the same’.
Grooming. Photo courtesy of Alecia