Sure, but can they play harmonica?
Monday, June 16, 2008
Sometimes I think Scientists get a little overexcited:
- BANGKOK, Thailand - Long-tailed macaque monkeys have a reputation for knowing how to find food — whether it be grabbing fruit from jungle trees or snatching a banana from a startled tourist.
- Now, researchers say they have discovered groups of the silver-haired monkeys in Indonesia that fish.
- Groups of long-tailed macaques were observed four times over the past eight years scooping up small fish with their hands and eating them along rivers in East Kalimantan and North Sumatra provinces, according to researchers from The Nature Conservancy and the Great Ape Trust.
- The species had been known to eat fruit and forage for crabs and insects, but never before fish from rivers.
- "It's exciting that after such a long time you see new behavior," said Erik Meijaard, one of the authors of a study on fishing macaques that appeared in last month's International Journal of Primatology. "It's an indication of how little we know about the species."
Now when I read the headline*, I thought that a bunch of monkeys had broken into Bass Pro, liberated a few flyrods, and were, you know, fishing. Like with tools. And bait. Instead we have 4 monkeys in 8 years observed reaching into the water, pulling out minnows, and eating them. I'm not sure that really qualifies as fishing any more than going to McDonald's qualifies as hunting.
How is this any more amazing than picking a banana off of a tree or eating a beetle found under a stump? A hungry monkey sees something that might taste good, he reaches out and grabs it, he puts it in his mouth. If it turns out that it does taste good, he has learned something, and does it again. What is amazing to me is the sheer number of monkeys who have not yet learned that fish taste good.
Are we running out of significant things to write scientific papers about? Or perhaps it's an indication that the pressure to publish is so intense that every 'discovery**,' no matter how mundane or unsurprising, must be documented, published, and breathlessly trotted out so the rest of the world can go, "If that's an indication of how little we know about the species, obviously you need more money. Have another grant."
I suspect that qualifies as fishing in some sense as well.
*"Scientists find monkeys who know how to fish." This is not to be confused with Monkeyfishing.
**Defined as something a monkey does that no other monkey-watcher has written about yet.
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Comments
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Posted by MyName (anonymous) on June 16, 2008 at 2:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Well it was published in the International Journal of Primatology under the assumption that it would probably be interesting to other people who spend most of their time watching monkeys. It's probably interesting to Primatologists just like finding a new set of notes from one of the founders about drafting the Constitution would be interesting to Political scientists or historians.
But hey, I bet this would make a great Simpson's episode, and I, for one, welcome the arrival of our new Monkey-Fisherman Overlords.
Posted by El_Borak (Bill Hoyt) on June 16, 2008 at 2:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Sure, understood. and you're absolutely correct about what gets specialists excited.
But I can't imagine there would be all that much to write. "I was watching the monkey and it reached into the water, grabbed a minnow, and ate it" just about ought to cover the essential facts.
Posted by alm77 (anonymous) on June 16, 2008 at 2:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Allen Press publishes all kinds of scientific journals. You'd be shocked what people find interesting, and yes, every little detail is a "discovery" that must be documented (Hey, all those doctorates have to be written about something right?) I agree this isn't headline news worthy, though.
Posted by lostblend (Keith Campbell) on June 16, 2008 at 3:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Not to take anything away from the question you are asking...
"I'm not sure that really qualifies as fishing any more than going to McDonald's qualifies as hunting."
I just love this sentence. Reading this makes me think of Elmer Fudd hunting at McDonalds.
"Be vewy vewy qwiet. I'm hunting a quawtew poundew.
Posted by clayhill70 (anonymous) on June 16, 2008 at 9:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"the long tailed macaque scooped minnows out with his one hand careful not to spill any of the beer he held in his other hand".....that's fishing.
Posted by DOTDOT (anonymous) on June 17, 2008 at 1:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Huh. So I can call it fishing at Dillons if I have a beer? I guess I'd have to bring my own since all they have is 3.2. Thats not beer.
Posted by El_Borak (Bill Hoyt) on June 18, 2008 at 10:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Correct, it's 'cereal malt beverage,' which a) comes with its own set of laws, and b) sounds like some kind of health drink. Two more reasons to stick with mead, IMO...
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