What thoughts light up in your mind when you see these primate pics?

Odds are pretty good that you’ll find yourself emoting at least one “Awwww. That’s so cute!” Most baby animals are cute, but pretty much anything can become cute with a little help from human technology. Take children’s cartoons, for example. Cuteness has been endowed upon all sorts of things, including insects, rodents, reptiles, aliens, vegetables, appliances, insects, and yes, even planes, trains, and automobiles. But, what makes these characters cute? Better yet, why do we think anything is cute in the first place?

First, what makes something elicit the aww response? Generally speaking, cuteness is related to the presence of a particular set of features, such as big heads, button noses, large eyes set low and wide on the head, pudgy little bodies, short arms and legs, high voices, and a little waddle in the walk. Human babies naturally have all these features, and we do tend to find our own babies incredibly adorable.

Take a look at the picture to the right, and you can see the differences in the juvenile and adult forms of certain animals. When asked, most people say that they prefer the images on the left, or the cuter baby faces.

This image was designed and published by the Austrian Nobel-prize winning scientist Konrad Lorenz, c. 1940 (Kindchenschema). Lorenz suggested that certain infantile features (the cute factor) trigger a nurturing response in adults. Feeling an attraction to babies makes us more likely to care for them, and in fact, it is so strong, that the feeling even spills over into caring for other species that we deem to be attractive.

Later, in what has since become a classic work of scientific literature, “Homage to Mickey Mouse,” Stephen Jay Gould addressed further the “cute factor” as he analyzed the physical changes Mickey Mouse underwent from the 1930s through the 80s. Mickey starts out as a pretty standard looking rodent and ends up looking…well, quite childlike!

Note in particular how Mickey’s ears and head got bigger, his nose flattened out and took an upward turn, his arms and legs got shorter and pudgier, and the size of his eyes grew quite large relative to his face. Mickey got cutified. Also, if you look at Mickey’s antagonists over the years, the bad guys haven’t changed much, remaining long and wiry, with more adult features (i.e. not cute!).

So, why are we attracted and subsequently compelled to spend hard-owned dough purchasing Mickey dolls and other cute paraphernalia? Our love of all things adorable is likely to be advantageous for the survival of our species. Humans (and many other primates) have very long developmental times, requiring tons of parental involvement for many years.  This is a good thing overall  because children have the opportunity to learn extensive amounts of information from their parents before they head out into the real world.  But, as every parent knows, children are exceptionally demanding, both mentally and physically.

In light of these costs, our ability to form strong bonds with babies provides us with an intense desire to take proper care of our children, especially in the beginning when they are quite helpless and need almost limitless attention.  Further, our ability to recognize that other children are cute enables us to help others with their young when they need it as well.  And because this is such a deeply instinctual response, we can’t help but be attracted to other animals that share the cutest features we see in our own young.

For a whole website full of fun, lovable things, check out CuteOverload. Warning, you may die from all the cuteness or worse yet, “barf rainbows,” as the site has indicated can happen to its viewers from time to time.

As a supplement to our previous posting about Cryptoprimatology, we have put together a comprehensive chart of all we could “dig up” on the names of cryptic primates from around the globe. Use your sleuthing skills and open up their “X-files,” if you dare!

References and For More Information:

Cryptozoology.com

Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization

Yowiehunters.com

List of Cryptids on Wikipedia

Cryptoprimatology can be defined as the search for and study of legendary primates in order to evaluate the possibility of their existence. The key word here is “legendary,” meaning that there are many stories and oral traditions that center on these primates, but no true scientific evidence can currently validate their existence.  We here at iloveprimtaes.com bravely plunged deep into the x-files to uncover all we could about cryptic primates. Here are some of the mysterious secrets we uncovered:

Human-Like Cryptic Primates

Reports of various “wildmen” exist throughout Asia. The legend of the Yeti, a somewhat human-like hairy being that reportedly ranges throughout the Himalayan mountain region, is one of the most well-known. Three different forms of the Yeti (or Abominable Snowman) have been reported, including a baboon-sized form that reportedly likes to dine on amphibians, a human-sized form covered in long red hair that has a taste for blood, and a shaggy 7-8 feet tall form that feeds on a variety of food items.  The Chinese tale of the Yeren is another legend involving a large, hairy primate that supposedly resembles the modern-day orangutan, only much larger and with a propensity to scream loudly and grab humans, dragging them away for consumption.

Other parts of the world have their share of cryptic hominoid stories as well. At nearly 10,000 reported sightings, the Yowie has earned a name for itself amongst Australian blokes and sheilas. Also called Narcoonah, this ape-like creature is believed to be covered with hair and stands at around six feet tall, ranging throughout the forests of Australia. The Yowie are reported to have prominent fangs that they use to support their diet, which includes livestock and roadkill!

Across the other side of the pond, thousands of North Americans have reported sightings of giant hairy primates that live in seclusion, preferring to avoid human contact. Legend has it that Bigfoot, or Sasquatch, is a pungent-smelling, upright-walking, large-footed mega-primate that dwells primarily in the upper portions of the United States and Canada.  Is there any scientific evidence supporting these claims? Watch this National Geographic video series and see what you think!

Missing-Links/New Species?

Bondo Mystery Apes

In 2003, several articles were published regarding a potential new species of apes hiding deep in the war-torn regions of the Congo. Local residents in the region often referred to two types of chimpanzees, one of which was a larger, stronger animal. Could those larger-bodied animals represent a new species of ape? In 1996, a Swiss photographer named Karl Ammann began doing work in the area, embarking on collecting trips that resulted in hair and fecal samples, skulls, footprints, and the discovery of ground nesting sites. Chimpanzees typically build sleeping nests in the trees, but these nests were on the ground, like what gorillas would make. Physically, the skulls Ammann collected were chimp-like, but with some gorilla features. The fecal samples revealed a fruit-based diet of the animals, much like a typical chimpanzee. After analyzing the genetic information from the hair samples, scientists concluded that the mysterious animals are indeed chimpanzees, but their subspecies type has yet to be determined. For more information about the Bondo Mystery Apes, visit this site.

Zana

Tales of Zana the ape woman come from Russian folklore and a few sparse zoological and historical records. Sometime around 1890, Zana was captured by hunters and sold to a nobleman who caged her within a small enclosure. Unusual in appearance, Zana was reportedly tall with dark skin and possessed a body covered with hair, extreme strength, long fingers, and opposable toes. Her face was broad and flat, and she was said to have large, strong teeth. After living in captivity for many years, she apparently went from being extremely aggressive towards humans to somewhat tame, capable of performing simple domestic tasks and following the instructions of her caretakers. If the stories are true, it is still unclear as to whether Zana was modern human or some other form of hominoid. Bones of her children have been examined by anthropologists, who have found them to be unusual and without clear origins. For more on her story, click here.

Koolakamba

Koolakamba were described in the late 1800s as a distinct species of ape from West Central Africa. They were differentiated from chimpanzees because of their larger brains and tendency to walk upright nearly all the time. Unfortunately, we do not know enough about these elusive animals to determine whether they are indeed a distinct species of ape, or a hybrid between chimps and another species, or perhaps just chimpanzees with their own unique look. Click here to read more about the Koolakamba!

Oliver

When it comes to physical appearance, the infamous Oliver is another mysterious chimpanzee. Captured from the wild in the late 1960s, he was brought to the United States to be used in a traveling performing act with other chimpanzees. Because he had less hair, a smoother jaw line, and a tendency to walk upright, he stood out from his fellow chimpanzees, seemingly taking on a more human-like persona. He reportedly preferred the company of human primates and partook in human behaviors, such as plopping down with an alcoholic beverage in front of a T.V. screen. It wasn’t long for rumors to begin circulating that Oliver was a human-chimpanzee hybrid, or at the very least, a new species of great ape. Despite much publicity, years went by without enough scientific evidence to validate these claims. However, rumors were finally put to rest recently when genetics studies showed that Oliver is indeed a normal chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) from Central Africa. After many years in the spotlight and several unfortunate years spent as a lab specimen, Oliver was eventually retired to the primate sanctuary in Texas known as Primarily Primates.

Watch this video to learn more about Oliver.

While cryptoprimatology may never make its way into the mainstream, it is nonetheless interesting to wonder whether there really could be remnant Neanderthal populations dwelling in mountain caves or mutated flying monkeys hiding in the depths of some undisturbed forest. Perhaps even more interesting is why so many humans “want to believe” that such cryptic primates and other such oddities do exist. What do you believe?

For More Information:

Cryptozoology.com

Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization

Yowiehunters.com