Chimps Have a Built-In GPS

destinyland writes "European researchers have discovered that chimpanzees have a built-in mental GPS, keeping 'a geometric mental map of their home range, moving from point to point in nearly straight lines.' Using GPS, two primatologists followed 15 chimpanzees for 217 days, and determined that the apes were 'using a mental map built around geometric coordinates.' They're not just identifying landmarks in their surroundings, and in fact, even when swinging through trees, the chimps planned out their route several trees in advance. Here's the paper in the journal Animal Behavior."

Comments

THere's no way i'm having a chimp on my dashboard

[Barsteward]

they sh*t everywhere and you'd have to feed it bananas for directions.

Re:Built-In Mental GPS

[flu1d]

Microsoft Sues Chimps.

You really think they'll sue themselves?

Re:Isn't that just...

[MichaelSmith]

• Wakes up in middle of night. Bloody cats on the bed again
• Puts cat out through front door
• One minute passes
• Cat comes back

The animal had gone to the back of the house, climbed to the upper story and come into the house through a little window high in the shower cubicle of the upstairs bathroom. Then it walked back down the stairs and into our room.

Of course it has a map. What it doesn't know is that I am going to strangle it if it keeps pulling tricks like that.