Patrick Jose IV.
V. Andaya
2012-24650
The
Social Climbers
Last
week, we watched a documentary about monkeys, a mammal which they say is our
closest relative in terms of evolution. It shows and explains the lives of
different species of monkeys, and also the similarities between them and us
humans.
There
are different kinds of monkeys, like gorillas, orangutans, and smaller
varieties as well. Even if their way of living is a bit different from each
other, as some hunt other monkeys for their food and some look for fruits and
leaves, they all act like they are part of a social structure, a society in
which they belong. Just like there are different kinds of humans, we are still
all social creatures and thrive in groups.
One
thing mentioned in the documentary that amazed me was the monkey’s ability to
learn tasks, make and use tools, from observation, which other animals can’t
do. We don’t see other animals do it, so how is it that monkeys can? The
documentary explains that another similarity between them and us humans is our
exceptionally larger brains, which allows us to do the things that we do.
The
documentary left me in a feeling of awe, the feeling you get when you learn
something new again. Also, the documentary has left me thinking about the movie
series The Planet of the Apes, and how it is not really as fictional as it
seemed when I first watched it some years ago.
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