Primatologist Answers Ape Questions From Twitter | Tech Support | WIRED

Tara Stoinski, chief scientist of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, answers your questions about primates from Twitter. Why do gorillas pound on their chest? How do apes communicate with one another? Why do chimpanzees have wars? Are there social hierarchies within primate groups? Answers to these questions and many more await—it's Ape Support.


Director: Lisandro Perez-Rey
Director of Photography: Chris Marshall
Editor: Richard Trammell
Expert: Tara Stoinski
Line Producer: Joseph Buscmie
Associate Producer: Paul Gulyas
Production Manager: Peter Brunette
Casting Producer: Nicholas Sawyer
Camera Operator: George Zelasko
Sound Mixer: Lee Bailey
Production Assistant: Trent Barfield
Post Production Supervisor: Christian Olguin
Post Production Coordinator: Ian Bryant
Supervising Editor: Doug Larsen
Additional Editor: Jason Malizia
Assistant Editor: Justin Symonds

00:00 Ape Support
00:11 Chest Beat
01:11 Bonobos
01:43 Primates
02:38 Communication
03:25 Planet of the Apes
04:17 Smiling
05:19 Two Foreheads
06:02 Attacks
06:57 Chimpanzee Wars
07:34 King Kong
08:19 New World vs Old World
09:46 Orangutans
11:03 Monogamy
11:49 Gibbons
12:22 Ripped Gorillas
13:27 Social Hierarchies
14:25 Primate Culture
15:14 Slow Loris
15:35 Farts
15:56 Prehensile Tail
16:37 Numerical Order
17:37 Spear Hunting
18:58 Life Span
19:14 Sadness
19:52 Endangered Species
20:49 Dian Fossey


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[zakattack]

"Gorillas scare me"

"Don't worry, it's the Chimpanzees you must worry about. They eat human babies"

[cward]

1:36 "Bonobos settle that social tension by coming together"

They sure do

[jopo]

I love her presentation style.
She is straight forward and informative.
She doesn't monkey around.

[u]

Human: He came, he saw, he conquered
Bonobo: He came, he saw, he came

[iamdanielmonroe]

Her point at 4:00 was actually more significant than many realize. Yes, Bonobos are typically more docile and kind-natured but the fact that Koba was so ruthless and psychopathic is a testament to how badly he was treated being tested and experimented on by humans to the point of going against the very nature of his species. I don't think this was an error on the film's part but more of subtle character development and backstory.

[ConsumerOfCringe]

If only world leaders settled conflicts as maturely as Bonobos

[jacobcox]

I think there's a reason why Koba, the antagonist of "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes", is a Bonobo. I think they wanted to show just how messed up he is because of human experimentation, the thought that a combination of a higher intelligence and years of abuse made one of the most peaceful apes into one of the most violent ones is kinda scary. Koba was turned into a monster by both humans and his own choices.

[Elriuhilu]

A lot of people seem to forget that humans also show their teeth as a sign of aggression. When you're really angry you can feel your upper lip curling to expose your teeth the same way other animals do. Humans also smile and wince, which also exposes teeth but shows completely different emotions, so why would it be different in other, similar animals?

[RetroDanceFreak]

Wait... No human has ever been killed by a Gorilla??? Now I'm mad about Harambe again...

[CrimsonKnight]

What i learnt:
Gorilla = fren
Chimpanzee = not fren

[sayuri_san_]

"they push their bodies as if to say why aren't u moving." man that made me cry

[YoungMule]

I don’t think I’ve ever heard one of these experts call someone out for asking a question in an “unsophisticated” way they just answer it in earnest, very refreshing

[thishollowhill]

Absolutely loved that she didn't dismiss Planet of the apes. But pointed out what they did right.

[bean.]

Growing up hearing animated gorillas beat their chests: 🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁

Actual gorillas beat their chests:
🫧🫧🫧🫧🫧🫧🫧🫧

[Whammytap]

I recently saw a video showing how two young mountain gorillas had learned to not only recognize, but disassemble poachers' snares. Most fist-pumping wholesome news so far in 2024.

[Aliencoochie]

"Whenever someone smiles at me, all i see is a chimpanzee begging for its life" Dwight schrute

[EswarKumar]

I'm surprised how she makes various mammal's sounds so easily and accurately. She studied them well.

[ConLustig]

Okay but isn’t it crazy we use that belch vocalization (clearing our throat) to let someone know we’re there? Also the uncomfortable 😬. So cool

[SleighJessi]

The part about Gorillas being rightfully afraid of humans is quite sad. These guys are our cousins and we’ve treated them so poorly that they want to just avoid us :(

[kittygirl_thetortie]

Im malaysian and speak malay. "Orangutan" is a malay word which is a literal translation of "people of the jungle/forrest". The grammatically correct malay spelling would be "orang hutan". Interesting that the ancestors of our land thought of them as people (human) rather than as monkeys even way back then. Our ancestors respected these "people of the jungle" and left them and their trees alone. Now humans have ravaged their habitats, poachers hunted them down and drove them to extinction. I don't think any orangutan exists in the forrest outside the national parks of Sabah and Sarawak anymore. How very shameful.