Chimp & See Talk

Do chimps have twins?

  • Boleyn by Boleyn moderator

    When looking at this video ACP0007jpa the males entering at second 7/8 do have the same traits. Same size, same pattern of grey on the back and same irregular male "belongings", the left one a bit higher up as the right. There's no good still picture of them but you can see it quite well in the video.

    So I wonder if they could be twins?

    Posted

  • vestigial by vestigial

    I think they can though I don't know how often both survive. Gorillas can, too, and they are tracking some twins born in the wild not too long ago. They are, naturally, adorable. Western lowland though, not mountain.

    https://www.thedodo.com/twin-gorilla-babies-1593550158.html

    Posted

  • MimiA by MimiA scientist, moderator

    From the view we get its really hard to tell if these are twins and I actually can't think of any stories about adult twin chimps (though i can think of announcements of twins being born at a few field sites) - i'll ask around to see if anyone knows more about it 😃

    Posted

  • Boleyn by Boleyn moderator

    Thanks @vestigial for the link. They are so cute!

    And thanks @MimiA for asking around. I'll try to find some more videos with those two male chimps in it.

    Posted

  • MimiA by MimiA scientist, moderator

    To answer the question of chimp twins, I definitely know about this sad story at Tai: https://books.google.de/books?id=t7YhAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA239&lpg=PA239&dq=twins+miriam+makeba+tai+chimpanzee&source=bl&ots=R_qmDdu1GK&sig=3UaxqYyuCmzf-AF6FTnLzwD7HyQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiJirGp453NAhXLaRQKHVTiBzkQ6AEIHjAA#v=onepage&q=twins miriam makeba tai chimpanzee&f=false

    aha- there were adult twins at Gombe (but as you can read, most die before they reach the age of sexual maturity 😦 ) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasakela_Chimpanzee_Community

    Posted

  • jwidness by jwidness moderator in response to MimiA's comment.

    I think it's interesting to note that all the twins born at Gombe are from the same matriline. In humans, predisposition to fraternal twinning is heritable, maybe that's what happening there too.

    Posted

  • luca-chimp by luca-chimp

    @jwidness, yes, this is what I thought, when I just some days ago saw a documentary about Gombe chimps ec, (and the point of twins I think is in the film too).
    Presumbaly you know it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkiPCKlNjX0

    Posted

  • MimiA by MimiA scientist, moderator in response to jwidness's comment.

    @jwidness - i would bet on it 😃

    Posted

  • Boleyn by Boleyn moderator

    Thanks for following up on this thread @MimiA . It's so sad to read stories like this about Miriam and Makeba and her mother and to know that cruelty like this happens probably every day.

    Now I just have to find a video at Dawnbird showing the suspected male twins in a frontview. So far I have only seen 2 males with exactly the same backview - including their privy parts. But your second link about the Jane Goodall studies shows me that they of course also could be older and younger brothers.

    Also thanks for the link to the movie @luca-chimp. What a playface this juvenile shows when playing in the water - priceless! 😄

    Posted

  • MimiA by MimiA scientist, moderator

    good luck with your search @Boleyn, would be a SUPER COOL finding 😃 and something we wouldn't be able to find with the genetics (because identical twins would have the same DNA sequences!)

    Posted

  • MimiA by MimiA scientist, moderator

    relevant twins facebook post today from Project Chimps 😃 https://www.facebook.com/projectchimps/posts/1157386100973509

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  • Boleyn by Boleyn moderator

    Great project, thanks for the link, @MimiA. These twins are already 11 years old - how promising! The team at the sanctuary should just be beginning to move the chimps to the sanctuary these days. Let me add the link to their official website as well where one can read more about the project - there are some lovely pictures too 😃

    sanctuary for 250+ chimpanzees coming out of biomedical research

    Posted

  • MimiA by MimiA scientist, moderator

    I got permission to upload this old WCF video today that includes video of Miriam and Makeba: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMeMlChwo-o&feature=youtu.be&t=10m30s

    Posted

  • jwidness by jwidness moderator

    Here's the link directly to the part with the twins: https://youtu.be/sMeMlChwo-o?t=13m23s

    Posted

  • Boleyn by Boleyn moderator

    Thank you both. It's just too sad that mother and twins had been shot 😦

    Posted

  • MimiA by MimiA scientist, moderator

    Some sad news from the Virunga mountain gorilla twins - its hard out there for twins! https://www.facebook.com/savinggorillas/photos/a.388504175063.169134.183535210063/10153631041250064/?type=3

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  • Boleyn by Boleyn moderator

    oh no, so sad! It's not called "the wilderness" in vain, is it?

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  • Boleyn by Boleyn moderator

    Unfortunately I was not able to find reliable proof for chimps at DawnBird.
    What I found instead is this picture of twins on the "Project Chimps" facebook site.

    Those two lovely girls named Charisse and Buttercup are among the first chimps that have been rescued and are now at the sanctuary. It's so cute: even their ears are the same with this funny brim 😃

    https://www.facebook.com/projectchimps/photos/pb.823789854333137.-2207520000.1474032123./1213862505325868/?type=3&theater

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