Welcome to the Monkeyhouse

 

In honor of the four-month mark of our new administration, here’s a look at the president’s slightly smarter cousin, the chimpanzee:

  • Washoe, the chimpanzee, was the first non-human to learn American Sign Language. She also passed on her knowledge to other chimpanzees.
  • In 2008, a chimpanzee named Anjana adopted and raised two baby white tigers named Mitra and Shiva after a hurricane.
  • Elephants and chimpanzees can display behavior patterns similar to post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.
  •  Humans have the same number of hair follicles as chimpanzees.
  • Chimpanzees can identify each other from pictures of their butts.
  • The United States and Gabon are the only two countries that allow experimentation on chimpanzees.
  • Congo the chimp was a famous abstract painter in the 1950s who sold paintings to Picasso, Dalí and others for up to $26,000.