Can monkeys recognize themselves in mirrors? It’s a simple-sounding question that requires a surprising level of self-awareness to answer, and it has been a long-running and genuinely fascinating question in animal cognition research. The Mirror Test The standard test for self-recognition involves marking an animal with an odorless dye somewhere it cannot normally see, such […]
Category Archives: Science & Research
Primatology, genetics, cognition and how scientists study monkeys.
Monkeys in scientific research have played a significant role for well over a century, contributing to breakthroughs in medicine, neuroscience and psychology because of their close biological and cognitive similarity to humans. Medical Research Because monkeys share a large percentage of their genetic makeup and physiology with humans, they have been used in the development […]
How monkeys learn new skills is a question that starts in infancy: monkeys are not born knowing how to crack a nut, use a tool or navigate a complex social hierarchy. Much of this knowledge is built through observation, practice and social learning over the course of years. Learning by Watching Young monkeys spend enormous […]
Diseases that affect monkeys are a major concern for researchers, wildlife veterinarians, and conservationists, since living in close social groups gives monkeys huge advantages but also makes them vulnerable to a range of illnesses that can move quickly between individuals, and in some cases, between monkeys and people. Parasitic Infections Internal parasites such as roundworms, […]
Monkey memory and learning: spatial maps of fruit trees, social memory of troop members, working memory tests, culture and how young monkeys learn from adults.
How scientists study monkeys: long-term field sites, focal sampling, GPS collars, camera traps, acoustic monitoring, faecal hormones and genetics explained.
Medical research involving monkeys: which species are used, what they contribute, the ethical framework of the 3Rs, welfare concerns and emerging alternatives.
How similar is monkey DNA to human DNA? Rhesus macaques share about 93 percent, chimps 98.8 percent. What those numbers mean and what the differences do.
Diseases shared between humans and monkeys: herpes B, tuberculosis, yellow fever, hepatitis and respiratory viruses, how transmission happens and how to reduce risk.