Aug 27 2012

Mary’s Monday Metazoan: I don’t think I want to hear that song

Categories:

Organisms

by PZ Myers

(via NatGeo)

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29 comments

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1

Ace of Sevens

27 August 2012 at 8:49 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Why not? That monkey is totally metal.
2

New England Bob

27 August 2012 at 8:59 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Its a yawn
3

Glen Davidson

27 August 2012 at 9:01 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

“Try calling me a lesser ape again!”

Glen Davidson
4

Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls

27 August 2012 at 9:07 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Looks like the key of b(ite).
5

kreativekaos

27 August 2012 at 9:12 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Interesting… the photo and pose has a sort of
Al ‘Hirschfeld-esque’ quality to it; could have been a character in one of his drawings.
6

StevoR

27 August 2012 at 9:25 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Singin’? Eructatin’? Yawnin’? Hollerin’?

Hard to say which but probably one.

Also what is it – howler monkey of some variety I’m guessin’?
7

lexie

27 August 2012 at 9:34 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I believe it is a white cheeked gibbon female (white cheeked gibbon males are black).
8

lexie

27 August 2012 at 9:35 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

No, now I think I’m wrong because there is no black patch on the top of it’s head.
9

Rumtopf

27 August 2012 at 9:38 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Lar Gibbon female?
10

jonjermey

27 August 2012 at 9:38 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I’m guessing it’s “None Shall Sleep”.
11

JohnnieCanuck

27 August 2012 at 10:45 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Sheesh people, this happens all the time. Check the link first, unless speculating is more fun or something.

From the NatGeo caption: “A lar, or white-handed, gibbon yawns.”

The article describes how they are able to produce loud, single-tone calls that travel long distances through dense jungle. So yeah, not a good choice for a pet in a suburb.
12

F

27 August 2012 at 11:37 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Heh. Instructions, maps, or links? Fuck no!
13

birgerjohansson

28 August 2012 at 3:38 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

“I am the baddest primate!”
14

Q.E.D

28 August 2012 at 4:59 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Nice choppers!
15

lexie

28 August 2012 at 5:01 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

JohnnieCanuck, sorry, I will click the link in future.
16

mickll

28 August 2012 at 6:27 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Bears a striking resemblance to “Ecce Homo”.
17

Matthew

28 August 2012 at 6:46 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Definitely a yawn. The gibbon is thinking “I’m getting tired of waiting for you stupid humans to go extinct so I can have my planet back”.
18

ravenred

28 August 2012 at 7:23 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

@Matthew

They’re waiting for us to blow it up, us maniacs.
19

blf

28 August 2012 at 7:43 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

It’s sending a message to the monolith saying (rough translation) “Mission control? Can I please return home now? These feckers are so stooopid they haven’t discovered slood yet, think digital watches are neat, and are still infested with peas.”
20

David Marjanović

28 August 2012 at 8:57 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

PZ, gibbons sing beautifully.
21

gussnarp

28 August 2012 at 8:59 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

When Gibbons call they generally puff out a large throat pouch. And they are loud. I love the gibbons at my zoo, they swing about like gymnasts while hooting at high volume. It’s great fun for the kids. I don’t think I’ve actually heard the white handed gibbons doing it though; the ones at the zoo just don’t seem nearly as interested in noisy display as the Siamang gibbons. They’re smallish and maybe not as loud as the Siamang gibbons, who are the big loud ones. Also not sure how much throat pouch they have. But I do love gibbons. One of the many particularly educational animals at the zoo. Kids really are fascinated by the apes, and it’s a great way to get them thinking about how we’re all related, even at an early age. Plus, I love that when the other kids go “Look at the monkeys”, mine will say, “They’re not monkeys, they’re gibbons.” Ah, little pedants.
22

David Marjanović

28 August 2012 at 9:06 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Nice choppers!

And nice wisdom teeth. :-)
23

Trebuchet

28 August 2012 at 9:48 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

She’singing “Fangs…for the memories…”
24

geeksmn

28 August 2012 at 10:56 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I can’t look at the picture without imagining it singing ROXANNNE
25

jaytheostrich

28 August 2012 at 11:41 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Clearly it’s “AAAAH! I stubbed my freaking toe!!”
26

Die Anyway

28 August 2012 at 2:58 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I looked at those teeth and thought “damn, that doesn’t look like a vegetarian”. So I checked. It’s a bit of an omnivore but mostly vegetarian: “In general, when data is combined among study sites, the lar gibbon diet includes fruit (66%), leaves (24%), flowers (1%), and insects (9%) although in individual studies there can be some significant variation by locality”

The teeth must be primarily a defense mechanism. Works for me.
27

JohnnieCanuck

28 August 2012 at 6:35 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

And here I was thinking they’d be good for opening coconuts.
28

StevoR

29 August 2012 at 3:38 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

@ 11. JohnnieCanuck :

Sheesh people, this happens all the time. Check the link first, unless speculating is more fun or something.

Oh. Right. Doh. Yep, shoulda done that although guessing is kinda fun too. Cheers.

Linked article there with monkeys on helium was pretty good and worth clicking too.
29

Rumtopf

29 August 2012 at 2:38 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Pfft, links! Where’s the fun in that?

(Dammit, a minute of google image searching for no reason. :c)