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How’s your chimp ID?

September 20, 2018 by Elizabeth

One of the first things new chimp house volunteers start learning is how to identify each of the chimpanzees. When you’re meeting a group of chimps for the first time (or the first ten times), they can often look frustratingly similar to one another. Eventually, of course, they start to look like individuals and you wonder how you could ever have mixed them up. But there’s a definite learning curve.

It helps to be able to spend some time just staring at each chimpanzee, so I just made these videos for our volunteers, in which you can see each of the seven chimpanzees from every angle, just being themselves. I thought some of our blog followers might appreciate them also. And if you’re not interested in working on your chimp ID, the videos make seven good excuses just to look at each of these beautiful chimps for several minutes.

(For extra credit, click on each name below to learn some identifying physical characteristics for each individual).

Annie:

Burrito:

Foxie:

Jamie:

Jody:

Missy:

Negra:

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sandie Allaway says

    September 20, 2018 at 3:27 pm

    Thank you so so much for these videos! I so easily understand how it would take a while to determine whos who so I have to do my homework. Sometimes I think I know some of them, aned then, pow, I’m so wrong! LOL I’m thrilled to be able to watch them each for this length of time.

  2. CeeCee says

    September 20, 2018 at 4:20 pm

    Thank you so much for this very educational post.
    I think I’m getting better at telling them apart, but
    I think a quiz would be great in the future.

  3. Jane Olinger says

    September 20, 2018 at 4:33 pm

    Thanks for this wonderful gift! I will be devoting much time to improving my chimp ID.

  4. Tobin says

    September 20, 2018 at 5:44 pm

    Part of the joy which I experience visiting this blog is identifying among the chimpanzees. When I first
    discovered (and fell in love with) the residents of the sanctuary, Burrito was the first of the Magnificent Seven
    who I viewed in a video playing tug-of-war with one of his human attendants; he’s always been easy to
    spot due to his freckles and ears. As I become more fascinated by his neighbors, I have come to recognize individual traits unique to each of them: Annie’s right ear, Missy and Negra’s freckles, Foxie and Jody’s eyes and ear folds, and the intense look in Jamie’s eyes. What works of art all seven of them are!

    But as much as it is visually edifying to watch these videos of each of the chimps, it is even more heartening to watch them being together and enjoying each other’s companionship.

  5. lisa says

    September 20, 2018 at 7:28 pm

    before I spend time watching anything, I want to know if I am correct in saying that the picture at the top is of burrito. I think it is because he often has stuff in his mouth. of course, if it was a troll-doll in the mouth, I would then say foxie . . . how am I doing so far – without watching any video at all yet.
    just so curious.

    • Elizabeth says

      September 20, 2018 at 7:40 pm

      You’re doing great! That is indeed Burrito. 🙂

  6. Kathleen says

    September 20, 2018 at 8:44 pm

    Elizabeth, you are the bomb! Thank you for sharing these videos with all of us who long to become Sanctuary Volunteers but instead happily settle for the position of Armchair Observers. Can’t think of anything better than observing each chimp just being themselves.

    When I first discovered your blog, I had such fun covering up each chimps name and trying to guess who they were. I love to study everything about them, their behavior and their beautiful faces, postures, markings — everything. And I am always thrilled to learn new details about their unique, individual personalities. The chimps never cease to amaze and delight me. Thanks again for sharing the videos!

    PS: Let me add that I am so jealous of your amazing volunteers.

  7. Trish says

    September 21, 2018 at 12:57 pm

    What a great idea. Thanks for this quickie course in Chimpanzee identification. Just studied Annie so far. Besides the tell-tale ear and all-black face, am I correct to say she’s in remarkable, learn physical shape?

  8. Trish says

    September 21, 2018 at 1:08 pm

    What a great idea. Thanks for this quickie course in Chimpanzee identification. Just studied Annie so far. Besides the tell-tale ear and all-black face, am I correct to say she’s in remarkable, learn physical shape? More entranced by these 7 every day!

    • Elizabeth says

      September 23, 2018 at 9:34 am

      Hi Trish – Yes, Annie is quite lean, though she’s not as small in stature as Foxie or Missy, who are both very petite.

  9. Linda says

    September 21, 2018 at 2:12 pm

    ok, I’m still new to blog, but have been watching them on YouTube all summer, so here goes; Annie and Foxie don’t have freckles. Annie’s got the notched right ear and her ears stick out a tiny bit more. Also, it seems like her hands/fingers are either longer, or it’s just the way she holds them when she plays, but she sticks them out farther, as if she were playing piano. Burrito, easy, long hair, twinkly eyes (like Foxie’s), freckles, usually has something in his mouth. Neggie, freckles, those fabulous lips, and well……she’s, um, shall we say a little less trim than the others? (It’s allowed, oh Queen!) Missy has the lighter tear-drop shaped gray patch on her back side, and more freckles, seems to be a bit more trim than the rest. Jamie, it’s funny, but the physical traits don’t always grab me (though her backside’s more prominent), but it’s more about the sharp look in her eyes, like she’s seeing right through you….so watch it! Jody is another that I’d probably have trouble IDing, so process of elimination. Now I’m gonna go watch these and see how many I got right!

  10. Linda says

    September 21, 2018 at 2:15 pm

    ok, I’m still new to blog, but have been watching them on YouTube all summer, so here goes; Annie and Foxie don’t have freckles. Annie’s got the notched right ear and her ears stick out a tiny bit more. Also, it seems like her hands/fingers are either longer, or it’s just the way she holds them when she plays, but she sticks them out farther, as if she were playing piano. Burrito, easy, long hair, twinkly eyes (like Foxie’s), freckles, usually has something in his mouth. Neggie, freckles, those fabulous lips, and well……she’s, um, shall we say a little less trim than the others? (It’s allowed, oh Queen!) Missy has the lighter tear-drop shaped gray patch on her back side, and more freckles, seems to be a bit more trim than the rest. Jamie, it’s funny, but the physical traits don’t always grab me (though her backside’s more prominent), but it’s more about the sharp look in her eyes, like she’s seeing right through you….so watch it! Jody is another that I’d probably have trouble IDing, so process of elimination. Now I’m gonna go watch these and see how many I got right!
    Edit!: Oh! And Burrito’s usually fidgeting and/or tapping his foot! If they’re playing Missy’s got the sock on her (usually left, correct?) foot

  11. Linda says

    September 21, 2018 at 3:12 pm

    Lol, I’ll never know……where you have the “cheat sheets”, Jody’s and Missy’s just say “We”…..:)
    But I can see Jody’s face is longer…..that’s why I love the “Food Sharing” video, where she gets some of Foxie’s coconut. As she accepts it, she puts on this long, beatific, pious face, with her eyes almost closed…so dainty, it makes me laugh! And Missy’s pigmentation along the bottom jaw looks like Burrito’s, but her hair is shorter, she’s not a “dude” 🙂 Jody’s ear are distinct, too, like little gargoyle ears, or bat ears-they’re not rounded, like Neggie’s.

    • Elizabeth says

      September 23, 2018 at 9:42 am

      Your observational skills are impressive, Linda! Thanks for letting me know about Jody and Missy’s ID posts…. That’s unfortunate. I’m guessing that some older content got lost when we upgraded our website earlier this year.

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