Happy Thanksgiving, Y'all

This year, The Prancing Papio is thankful for the continuing support of its readers and friends. Without you, I will be just ranting and writing into the void. I'm also thankful to Kambiz from Primatology.net and Anthropology.net for inviting me to contribute to his blogs. This year is The Prancing Papio's first Thanksgiving. What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

I'd like to share some interesting anthropological articles about Thanksgiving. "Rethinking Thanksgiving",  by Vera L. Stenhouse is an interesting article about the myths and misgivings of Thanksgiving (Thanks Monkey Tales!) Also, an interview with Dr. Deborah Gewertz from Amherst College, "Who Knows: Deborah Gewertz, G. Henry Whitcomb 1874 Professor of Anthropology, on Thanksgiving". Thanksgiving is just not Thanksgiving without blaming the turkey for making you sleepy. "Thanksgiving Myth: Turkey Makes You Sleepy" from Live Science.

Hope y'all have a wonderful and tasty Thanksgiving!

Grandmothers Taking Care Of Their Granddaughters: Japanese Macaques

Japanese researchers observed two separate cases of grandmothers taking care of their granddaughters. The catch is, these grandmothers are free-ranging Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) and the researchers think that this is the first observed behavior in nonhuman primates that would support the "Grandmother Hypothesis". The Grandmother Hypothesis posits that female's post reproductive lifespan is reflected by the reproductive success of her offspring and the survival of her grandchildren.

According to the paper published on Primates, Nakamichi et al  (2009) observed that these grandmothers, without dependent offspring, were observed taking care of their granddaughters and even suckling them. The first case was a 24 year-old grandmother who provided essential care to her 2 month-old granddaughter after her mother temporarily disappeared from the group (the author cited unknown reason for her disappearance). The second case was a 23 year-old grandmother who suckled her 14 month-old granddaughter after her mother gave birth to a younger sibling. In summary, these behavioral data indicate that healthy grandmothers without dependent offspring could contribute to the survival of their grandchildren thus supporting the Grandmother Hypothesis.

The grandmother (GM1) is retrieving her granddaughter (GD1) (a), and GD1 is holding GM1’s nipple in her mouth (b) during the period of the mother’s (M1) temporary disappearance (21 July 2008). GM1 is grooming M1 who is nursing GD1 on the first day when M1 returned to the group (28 July 2008) (c). Photo from Nakamichi et al. (2009)

Read more about the article, Old grandmothers provide essential care to their young granddaughters in a free-ranging group of Japanese monkeys (Macaca fuscata) on Primates. Also, BBC ran a story about this article, Grandmother monkeys care for baby.

"To our knowledge, there have been no reported cases in which, instead of a mother, a grandmother without dependant offspring has continuously provided essential care for the survival of her dependant grandchild, which is in accordance with the grandmother hypothesis," Dr Nakamichi and colleagues write in the journal Primates. BBC Earth News, 2009.

References:

Nakamichi, M. Onishi, K. Yamada, K. 2009. Old grandmothers provide essential care to their young granddaughters in a free-ranging group of Japanese monkeys (Macaca fuscata). Primates Retrieved November 24, 2009, from http://www.springerlink.com/content/a30977860p50wt76/ doi: 10.1007/s10329-009-0177-7.

Walker, M. 2009. Grandmother monkeys care for baby. BBC Earth News Retrieved November 24, 2009, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8370000/8370743.stm.

Charles Darwin: On the Origin of Species. 150th Anniversary.

 Charles Darwin, circa 1854.

This year marks the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth (12th February, 1809) and tomorrow marks the 150th anniversary of Darwin's publication of On the Origin of Species (24th December, 1859). Have you thought of joining The Friends of Charles Darwin?

Did you know:

• Darwin's theory of evolution was influenced by the famous geologist Charles Lyell.
• While working in Malaysia, Alfred Russell Wallace came up with a theory of evolution similar to those of Charles Darwin. This made Darwin hurriedly published his works so Wallace do not get the credit as the first to introduce the theory. They later had a joint publication at the Linnean Society of London, giving each other credit for the idea.
  
• Scientists found newly evolved finch on the Galapagos Islands in 2009. Evolution caught in the act? Newly evolved finch appears on the Galapagos Islands!

This image, titled 'Man is But a Worm,' and published shortly before his death by Punch magazine, shows the great naturalist seated on God's throne, overseeing the evolution of an English gentleman out of 'chaos.' In 1881, Darwin had published an influential book on the ecology of earthworms. Photo from Tulane University.

What will you be doing tomorrow to commemorate Charles Darwin's 150th anniversary of the publication of  On the Origin of Species?

Hobbits Are Indeed A Separate Species, Said Researchers.

 Researchers from Stony Brook University Medical Center in New York confirmed that the Hobbits, or Homo floresiensis, are indeed a separate "human" species instead of a population of diseases Homo sapiens. The 7th Human Evolution Symposium, Hobbits in the Haystack: Homo floresiensis and Human Evolution was held this year at Stony Brook.

A recent full-body reconstruction of LB1, the ‘little lady of Flores’, by the Parisian paleoartist Elisabeth Daynès. (©2009, S. Plailly/E. Daynès—Reconstruction Atelier Daynès Paris). Photo from The geometry of hobbits: Homo floresiensis and human evolution.

Cranial comparison between LB1 (Homo floresiensis) and modern human. Photo from www.bbc.co.uk

Height comparison between modern humans and Homo floresiensis. Illustration from www.amnh.org

According to the press release, researchers William Jungers and Karen Baab used statistical analysis on the skeletal remains of LB1 (nicknamed Flo) to determine that Homo floresiensis are indeed a distinct species. A few characteristics of LB1 that makes her and her kind a separate species than modern humans.

• LB1's cranial capacity is about 400cc, about the same size as a chimpanzee.
• The skull and jawbone of LB1 is more primitive looking than any normal modern humans.
• The thigh bone and shin bone of LB1are much shorter compared to modern humans including Central African pygmies, South African KhoeSan (formerly known as 'bushmen") and "negrito" pygmies from the Andaman Islands and the Philippines. Jungers and Baab believe that these are primitive retentions as opposed to island dwarfing.
• Using a regression equation developed by Jungers, LB1 was about 3 feet, 6 inches (106cm) tall, far smaller than modern human pygmies whose adults grow to less than 4 feet, 11 inches (150cm) tall.

The nearly complete left foot of LB1 next to the right tibia (shin bone, which is ~235 mm long). The foot is relatively very long and has unusual intrinsic proportions; its footprint matches no other species (photo: W. Jungers) The geometry of hobbits: Homo floresiensis and human evolution.

Read more about the Hobbits at The geometry of hobbits: Homo floresiensis and human evolution (Free Wiley Interscience PDF).

Functions of Male Primate Coloration

Over at Beast Ape and The Bleeding Heart Baboons, Beast Ape posted an interesting blog about the functions of primate coloration as "badge of status" in males to indicate rank or status to other males or to convey information to females about the male's fitness or quality (think the peacock's train).