Mornings at the chimp house are pretty predictable. Burrito likes to start out the day with a long and loud display. Jody likes to camp out by the window to the kitchen so she can watch the caregivers prepare the morning smoothie. And Negra stays in her bed, under the covers, as long as she can without missing breakfast.
Missy and Annie, on the other hand, like to begin the day by playing.
There’s nothing like a good play session to get your blood flowing in the morning.
And how do Jamie and Foxie like to start their day?
Jamie is a bit less predictable. Sometimes she greets her caregivers and wants to spend time admiring their shoes. Other times she displays. And sometimes we find her caught up in a project of her own making. Foxie is usually playing games with her troll dolls, and she usually says “hello” to the staff and volunteers by tossing a troll to us.
I can understand why Jamie might be less predictable. When you’re the head of a group you never know what might come up. 😉
And Foxie — well, how else would she start her day lol?
Love this video, JB, these two are a joy to watch. I was wondering what Jamie and Foxie liked to do, also.
I’m glad Missy and Annie are pals. A couple cuties!
Magical chimpanzees…….it’s amazing how seeing one minute and thirty one seconds of happy chimpanzees can completely erase eight hours of muck. 🙂 Great video, thanks, JB!
Missy and Annie finding friendship against the odds. So lovely to see
BFF those two! 🙂 Do they also sleep together or do any of the chimps sleep in close proximity to each other or do they all like to make their own bedtime nests alone? Also was wondering if they ever fight or get into any “disagreements” with each other? I imagine if so, they probably figure it out pretty swiftly, knowing each other all so well!
Thanks for this sweet video!
Missy and Annie often sleep near each other, but they always make separate nests. The other chimps tend to space themselves out at night. Missy and Annie actually get into disagreements quite often. As much as these two love each other, Missy is not always what we would think of as “fair” to Annie. Missy insists on eating first and gets upset if Annie tries to do so. This used to escalate into a fight more often, but Annie has gained a lot of confidence over the last few years and she is better at resolving conflicts with the other chimps. Missy loves Annie, but we often refer to Missy as the “enforcer” of the hierarchy, and she will get quite upset if someone steps out of line…even if it is her best friend Annie.
Love watching Missy and Annie but I’m with Negra… stay under the covers as long as possible without missing breakfast! You go Negra, you’re my morning hero!! And of course who would expect Foxie to do anything but play with her troll dolls? You go girl! Thanks JB.
Interesting..alot like humans, I guess! Does Missy ever challenge Jamie, as I thought she was the queen bee in the hierarchy….
Missy doesn’t challenge Jamie directly. However, she has sided with other chimps in fights against Jamie. In one instance, there was a skirmish between Jamie and Negra, which presents a problem for the rest of the group because while Jamie is the boss, so to speak, Negra is very highly respected. In this fight, the whole group took Negra’s side (what caused the fight in the first place was unclear to us).
My sense is that Missy feels the need to enforce the rules. Usually, this means backing Jamie, because most of the time, the boss gets to make the rules. But even the boss is capable of breaking rules from time to time.
With all that playing, has anyone ever fallen off a ledge? Makes me nervous just watching them pushing at each other with a ledge nearby!
I wouldn’t say that chimpanzees never fall, but it is exceedingly rare. They have greater strength, better balance, and four grasping limbs, so situations that might give us vertigo are nothing to them. Even when they do slip, they are able to catch themselves.