Van Hooff, J.A.R.A.M. & Lukkenaar, B. (2015). Captive chimpanzee takes down a drone: tool use toward a flying object, Primates. DOI
10.1007/s10329-015-0482-2.
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Video clip for AAAS lecture "Ai and Ayumu" / 4 min 50 sec long ©Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University
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A baby Japanese macaque was born March 18, 2016 at Regenstein Macaque Forest, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago. Congratulations! See adorable photos of the baby cuddling with Izumi on http://www.lpzoo.org/
Photos © Jillian Braun / Lincoln Park Zoo
Mar. 24 Updated: many thanks to all who supported and attended at Zoouniversity 6, and HERE's the photo report. Please check it out.
Date: January 30th - 31st, 2016
Venue: Visitor Center and Seminar House Hakutei@ Japan Monkey Centre
Our Zoo caretakers are running a large number of projects aimed at improving the living space of our captive primates, and so to maximise their physical/psychological well-being. Here we report the latest news from our ongoing projects.
The discipline of Primatology started in Japan on December 3rd, 1948. The late Kinji Imanishi (1902-1992) and his two students, from Kyoto University, went to Koshima Island to observe wild Japanese monkeys. By studying the social behavior of this monkey they aimed to understand the evolutionary origins of human society.
Most people may not realise that there are no species of monkeys or apes
native to North America or Europe. Among G7 member state countries, Japan
is unique. Japan has an indigenous species of monkey, called the Japanese
or snow monkey, benefiting the study of nonhuman primates here.
Primatology is the scientific study of all primates, including humans. In
order to understand ourselves as humans, it is essential to study our
closest living relatives; people are keen to discover more about apes,
monkeys, and prosimians such as lemurs.Thanks to the pioneering efforts of
Kyoto University scholars, primatology in Japan began uniquely through
fieldwork on the native wild monkeys.
Japanese primatologists worked together to help create the Japan Monkey
Centre (JMC). It was founded on October 17th, 1956. The JMC aims to
promote research, education, conservation, welfare, and communication to
the public regarding nonhuman primates. JMC became a 'Public Interest
Incorporated Foundation' from April 2014.
The JMC is also a registered museum, since 1957 producing the journal, “Primates”, now the oldest Primatology journal written in English. Primates is a leading journal in the discipline, published by Springer in collaboration with Primate Society Japan (PSJ). The JMC also runs a unique zoo, specializing in nonhuman primates, with over 1,000 individuals representing 67 (as of 2014) different species.
This is the official website of JMC, with information about ongoing
projects and news updates, in English. Join us for a window onto the world
of nonhuman primates.
Through observing nonhuman primates we can develop a better appreciation
of our place within nature, a keener desire to understand the evolutionary
origins of human society and behavior.
October 15th, 2014 in Kyoto
Tetsuro Matsuawa
General Director, Japan Monkey Centre
Editor-in-chief, PRIMATES
Professor, Kyoto University
President, International Primatological Society
The discipline of Primatology started in Japan on December 3rd, 1948. The late Kinji Imanishi (1902-1992) and his two students, from Kyoto University, went to Koshima Island to observe wild Japanese monkeys.
Photo © Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University / Itani Junichiro Archives
Sweet-potato washing among Koshima monkeys was first observed.
Photo © Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University / Itani Junichiro Archives
JMC was founded on October 17th to promote research, education, conservation, welfare, and communication to the public regarding nonhuman primates.
The first Annual Meeting of Primates Studies held.
Photos © Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University / Itani Junichiro Archives
The Japan Monkey Centre (JMC) began the journal, "Primates", now the oldest Primatology journal written in English.
The JMC initiated the first expedition to Africa to study wild gorillas and chimpanzees in the February of this year.
An additional aim of the expedition was to meet with researchers at many different institutions around the world.
Photo: Dr. Carpenter (right), holding the very first issue of the Journal Primates, with Dr. Imanishi (left).
Photos © Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University / Itani Junichiro Archives
The JMC sent Dr. Junichiro Itani on the third expedition to Africa. On September 29th, Dr. Itani arrived at Gombe and met with Dr. Jane Goodall.
Photo: from left to right: Drs Azuma, Imanishi, Itani, and Goodall (1961).
© Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University / Itani Junichiro Archives
Dr. Toshisada Nishida succeeded in establishing the, now, second longest running wild chimpanzee research site at Mahale Mountains in western Tanzania.
The Primate Research Institute (PRI) was established near to the JMC, with the help of JMC researchers. They joined PRI and played a vital role in managing PRI in the early days.
© Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University / Takeshi Furuichi
The JMC funded Dr. Kosei Izawa to launch the first Japanese expedition to the Amazon .
The Japan Monkey Centre (JMC) became a 'Public Interest Incorporated Foundation ' from April 2014. JMC is now in the 59th year and still getting better.
Primates is the oldest English-language Primatology journal, published by the Japan Monkey Centre (JMC) through Springer in collaboration with Primate Society Japan. The object of this journal is to facilitate the research on the entire aspect of nonhuman primates in connection with man. Museum section of JMC is taking on the role of delegating editorial board members/advisory board members/editor-in-chief, hosting editorial board meeting, and editorial operation of the journal PRIMATES.
Currently, there is no journal specializing in primatology; I declare that this is the very first primatology journal. Isn't this exciting? First of all, primatology department is non-existent in any university of the world, and therefore there is nothing such as an academic society for primatology. The modification in the operation of academic authority is evidenced by the fact that the Japan Monkey Centre (JMC) introduced the publication of this specialized journal, skipping the normal course of development, which is to begin by establishing a department at a university, followed by organizing an academic society, and then publishing a journal. The term "primatology" can be translated as "reichourui-gaku" in Japanese. But, we do not prefer such a difficult, orotund name. The primatology that we envision is a new scholarly endeavor to comprehensively investigate, so to speak, the genealogical history of humankind, by comparatively studying primates situated in various phylogenetic statuses, from various academic fields from the perspectives of not only morphology and development, but also physiology, psychology, ecology, sociology, and so forth.
It is from this standpoint that we conceived, an idea of gathering various primate species from around the world in a zoo that is expected to be built under the supervision of the JMC; we do not recklessly expand our research focus to include animals that do not share recent common genealogy with humankind. In this first volume, only articles that are based on naturalistic observations of Japanese monkeys could be included,
but this journal seeks to gradually fulfill all the aforementioned ambitions. On the other hand, I request contributions from outside the country and promotion of the journal, until it achieves global recognition. I might have made too many irresponsible remarks, but I just want things to proceed in a lively manner, anticipating a bright future for us. Therefore, I sincerely ask your support and cooperation.
Kinji Imanishi
In my capacity as the new Editor-in-Chief, I would like to announce that the new editorial board of the journal Primates comes into effect in January 2015, and will operate for the next three years. Primates is the oldest English-language Primatology journal, published by the Japan Monkey Centre (JMC) through Springer in collaboration with Primate Society Japan. The former Editor-in-chief, Juichi Yamagiwa, was recently elected as the 26th president of Kyoto University, and to replace him I have taken on the role of Editor-in-Chief from October 2014. I appreciate all the efforts of my colleagues who act as associate editors and advisory board members, without whom the journal could not achieve its aims. Please allow me to take this opportunity to look back over our history. Primatology in Japan began on December 3rd, 1948. It was on that day that the late Kinji Imanishi (1902-1992) and his two undergraduate students from Kyoto University set out for Koshima Island to observe wild Japanese monkeys.
By studying the social behavior of the monkeys they aimed to understand the evolutionary origins of human society. Primatology is the scientific study of all primates, including humans. In order to understand ourselves as humans, it is essential to study our closest living relatives; an interest in apes, monkeys, and prosimians is shared by scientists and laypeople alike. Japanese primatologists worked together to help create the JMC, founded on October 17th, 1956. Soon thereafter, in 1958, JMC sent the first expedition to Africa to study wild gorillas and chimpanzees. JMC aims to promote research, education, conservation, welfare, and communication to the public regarding nonhuman primates. JMC became a 'Public Interest Incorporated Foundation' from April 2014, and is a registered museum responsible for producing the journal Primates. It also runs a unique zoo, specializing in nonhuman primates, housing about 1000 individuals representing 67 (as of 2014) different species. Through the scientific study of nonhuman primates we can develop a better appreciation of our own place within nature.
Japan Monkey Centre (JMC) is closed every Tuesday and Wednesday. Additionally, JMC is closed weekdays in February. * Open on public holidays.
Experienced staff are always on-hand to tell visitors about the JMC and to answer any questions. We have information displays and also taxidermist specimens and skeletons of nonhuman primates. We hold special exhibitions on a wide variety of different themes.
This outdoor enclosure is in the form of an island ringed by a deep moat, allowing the inhabitants to roam freely. Living on the island-enclosure are three different species of lemurs found in the wild only in Madagascar: brown lemurs, black lemurs, and ruffed lemurs.
Here you can see the tiny Callitrichidae monkeys that come from South America. The indoor enclosure is maintained at a temperature of about 25°C to simulate tropical jungle conditions. There is also a special room where day and night are reversed: during our daytime it is their night-time. Nocturnal monkeys can be seen moving about energetically during our daytime.
Japanese macaques, also known as the snow monkeys, and living at the northern limit of the global range of all nonhuman primates, can be seen here, along with other Asian monkeys such as rhesus macaques.
You can enter this outdoor enclosure and experience a close encounter with free-moving ring-tailed lemurs.
One of the star attractions at the JMC is a family of chimpanzees, rejuvenated recently by birth of baby chimpanzee, Mamoru, last year. Around sunset, you can see gorillas gathering to search for their evening meal, parts of which will have been hidden earlier in various places within the enclosure by the staff. You can also see nocturnal monkeys here.
Here you can see brightly-colored monkeys including, hamadryas baboons. Colobus monkeys show their strikingly beautiful black and white markings.
Over seventy Anubis baboons can be watched from this rooftop viewing deck.
From this observation platform, you can see 160 Japanese Yaku-macaques living in a 4,000 m2 valley. From the winter solstice until the end of February, on weekends and holidays, see Japanese Yaku-macaques warming themselves by a real bonfire. The tradition of lighting bonfires for the monkeys began in 1957, after Japanese Yaku-macaques were observed to gather around the fires lit by staff to burn fallen trees following the Isewan Typhoon. This new ‘bonfire-season’ soon became established as a well-known, and cherished, annual event.
Here, you can see siamangs brachiating (moving by swinging arm by arm) at a height of 15 meters (Big loop), Geoffroy's spider monkeys moving back and forth across a 100 meter long suspension bridge (Monkey skyway). Our Zoo caretakers regularly hand out information under the ‘Monkey skyway’. Don't forget to look up to see one of the must-see sights at the JMC. However, don't forget to keep an eye out for and avoid falling monkey excrement! Bolivian squirrel monkeys can be seen moving freely within the dense undergrowth on a small, nearby island (Squirrel monkey land).
Here you can see four different species of gibbons found in the wild in Southeast Asia: agile gibbons, capped gibbons, white-handed gibbons, and muller's gibbons.
You can enjoy petting about thirty different species of cute/creepy animals.
According to GAIN, thee are 102 species of nonhuman primates are kept in the zoos and other facilities in Japan. The count is at the point of March 31 2015 and excludes the hybrids and miscellaneous individuals.