Hello Friends, in today's article we will explain if can a monkey swim.
can a monkey swim
A video tape filmed of two monkeys separately proved that monkeys can swim like humans, perhaps not with the same degree of skill, but they follow the same method, unlike most of the land mammals, which swim instinctively by pawing, While scientists believe that the different swimming style of humans and monkeys is due to life in the trees.
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The British newspaper "Daily Mail" published pictures from the video that shows one of the chimpanzees named Cooper demonstrating his skills in a swimming pool in the US state of Missouri, where he did not just swim, but enjoyed diving to the bottom of the deep pond that reaches 6 feet, to pick up some things From the bottom.
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"We were so astonished by the animal’s behavior that we thought it would be afraid of the water," said researcher Renato Bender of the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa.
While another video was filmed of a monkey in a private zoo in South Carolina, swimming freely for a distance of more than 12 meters, and it was noticed that the two monkeys used a leg movement similar to a "frog kick", but there was a slight difference between the two, as Cooper was moving his hind legs Together, the second monkey moves them in turns, according to an American scientific journal.
"Scientists have largely neglected the behavior of the monkeys in the water," said co-author Dr. Bandar Nicole of the University of Bern in Germany. "This is one of the reasons why there is no scientific description of swimming in monkeys yet, although these animals have been studied with great precision."
He added, "We have not yet found other documented cases that prove that monkeys are able to dive and swim, but Cooper and the other monkey are the only ones who we were able to portray in this movie, and we still do not know when human ancestors started swimming and diving regularly."
Keep reading can a monkey swim
Can chimpanzees swim?
Chimpanzees and orangutans can swim, and even snorkel. To move in the water, they make lateral movements parallel to the surface with their arms. Yes, they instinctively practice a derivative of breaststroke.
Great apes do not venture into deep water, where they have no footing, for fear of not spotting possible predators. However, this does not mean that they cannot swim, even if they have adopted an arboreal lifestyle for millennia. Moreover, observations of primates literally throwing themselves into the water have already been reported, but it is true that they remain anecdotal.
Now, we know a little more about swimming in great apes, thanks to the study just published, in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, Renato and Nicole Bender of the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa). Admittedly, they were helped by Cooper and Suryia, a chimpanzee and an orangutan who love to get wet, do swimming movements and, from time to time, put their heads under water.
During the experiments, the two primates were observed and filmed separately as they moved in the pool for distances of two to six meters. Separately ... because Cooper lives in Missouri (United States) and Suryia in South Carolina (United States). Instinctively, the two monkeys adopted a mode of swimming that we know well: the breaststroke, or at least one of its derivatives!
The swimming of the great apes, a consequence of their way of life
Cooper and Suryia moved through the water in lateral movements parallel to the surface, with all four limbs, like when we are doing breaststroke. However, the chimpanzee used its posterior locomotor appendages simultaneously during its movements (the arms moving alternately), while the orangutan performed alternating swimming movements (left side, then right side). Either way, both primates clearly showed their ability to fight negative body buoyancy ... since they didn't drown.
Monkey swimming underwater
Jigokudani Monkey Park is located within Joshinetsu Kogen National Park in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Onsen, meaning hot spring for macaques, is known worldwide as the favorite of the creeper species.
However, life was not always fair for the Jigokudani monkeys, and that name translates to “Valley of Hell,” as the ice monkeys were first forced out of their shelter in the 1950s due to the development of nearby ski resorts.
As a result, the monkeys moved to neighboring towns, creating problems with local residents, by raiding the farmers' orchards, so farmers petitioned the government and granted the right to hunt macaques.
A Nagano Railway Company worker and local nature fan, Sogo Hara, was determined to protect the monkeys. Hara's strategy was to attract monkeys to the mountains with apples.
Soon his group discovered one of the traditional Japanese lodges. As is usual for any "ryokan", the lodge includes an outdoor hot spring for guests to enjoy. According to the story, one day in 1963, an apple fell into the hot spring designated for guests of the hostel, followed by a monkey, descending into the steam water, and appearing with the apple in its hand. But he did not get out of the water right away, and a number of monkeys looked at the audacious monkey, quietly taking a bath in the water of the spring.
It wasn't long before other monkeys began imitating the water-loving monkey.
Within months, all the female monkeys had taken a bath in the hot springs. While this behavior pleased the human visitors, it created a distinct health issue for the hostel. This led to the creation of the Jigokudani Monkey Park in 1964, thanks to Hara's efforts. Today, the ice monkeys live here in safety and enjoy freedom in their designated hot springs in peace.
A relaxing plunge
It appears that monkeys not only dive and swim in hot springs to warm their bodies, but also emulate residents and visitors to appreciate the properties and capabilities of the hot spring.
Since monkeys do not swim every day and seem to prefer swimming in the hot spring on cold days, visitors should plan this before heading to the park.
January and February are the best times for a first visit. Where the ideal snow weather is suitable for the monkey mood.
Keep learning can a monkey swim
Do monkeys need water?
The bodies of monkeys need fresh water to be able to live, as water regulates their body temperature, contributes to the absorption of nutrients, the disposal of body waste, and the maintenance of body weight and health, and the lack of water leads to the disruption of many of these basic functions, as the animal loses a tenth of the amount of water present in His body leads to his death.
Is Monkey afraid of water?
In fact no, monkeys don't afraid of water, as we see in many videos, some monkeys prefer swimming more than tree climbing.
Do gorillas swim in water?
As we said before, some monkeys can swim, but not every monkey do like water, and the same rule for gorillas, some of them can swim and enjoy it, but also there are some gorillas with their big bodies can't enter to the water.
More interesting informations
Types of monkeys
▪️Gorilla: It is one of the largest subspecies of monkeys. Where it weighs up to three hundred and fifty kilograms, and belongs to the family of great apes; That is, the finest family of the group of primates, and it is classified into three subspecies: the orange utan, chimpanzee, and the gibbons, which is the smallest. Gorillas live in simple groups that do not exceed thirty individuals, and they have an introverted and quiet character at many times, but if they are provoked, they turn into a very ferocious and aggressive creature, and they feed on tree leaves, some types of fruits, and thorns, and live in Rwanda, Zaire, and Cameroon.
▪️Baboon monkey: This breed of monkey is considered one of the smartest strains, and its body is covered with soft fur, and it has a strong jaw that contains long incisors, and it is widespread in the Arabian Gulf region, especially in Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, and Yemen. The baboon appreciated large and prominent pockets that it used to store its food in it, and it had a prominent nose that helped it identify the scent of other monkeys and recognized the danger threatening it tens of miles away.
▪️Mandolins and macaques, which belong to the family of baboons: have the same physical and behavioral characteristics, except that some of their species are smaller than the size of baboons.
Mating in monkeys
There are many strange behaviors in monkey societies, especially when mating. Mostly the three-year-old male monkey has one wife, and she is the mother of his children, and he builds a separate house with her and takes care of the children, but some monkeys mate with more than one female in secret, and do not make loud noises in bringing the females to her. For fear of being exposed and expelled, or being beaten by the group; An individual marriage is not liked among members of his tribe. The female monkey carries its young at a stage that ranges from four months in some breeds to eight months. Where she gives birth to one person, she sucks him from the breast for a whole year, so that he can walk on his feet and be sufficiently able to defend himself.
🔸The birth of the monkey
There is little information related to reproductive behavior in monkeys, because they are among the animals that give birth at night far from daylight, but the results of recent research on monkey births conducted by researchers studying reproductive behavior on the golden snub-nosed monkey in the mountains Kunlun in China, has shown that the process of childbirth continues in a female monkey for a period of four minutes and ten seconds, and it was also noted that the mother received help during her birth from another, which can be considered a midwife.
🔸Carry a monkey
A female monkey goes through what is known as the menstrual cycle every month, which makes it possible for mating and pregnancy to occur at any time of the year, with the exception of some species that mate at seasonal times, and usually one child is born at a time, and the mother takes care of it.
Monkey food
🔸Many people think that monkeys eat bananas only, but that is not true, monkeys are considered carnivores in addition to plants, so most monkeys eat nuts, fruits, seeds, and flowers, in addition to that they eat bird eggs, small lizards, insects, and spiders.
🔸 The monkey habitats
Most monkeys live on trees, but there are some of them live in the plains and mountains, while they remain on a constant travels in search of food, and the tribe of monkeys are very cooperative with each other, as they care for and protect the younger monkeys , and they play and have fun together, and the largest and strongest monkey is The leader of the tribe, who mates with a large group of females.
Summary
That's All you need to know about if can a monkey swim.
