Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Say "Hi" to your cousins in Dublin


What, were you expecting photos of a bunch of guys emerging from a pub?


We share 98.8% of our DNA with chimpanzees. The lady in the top photo was very interested in something in the water but dared not go any closer on the steep bank. Unlike us, chimpanzees are not swimmers. The ones in the last photo are youngsters.

The zoo also has lowland gorillas and orangutans. Watching the orangutan family--mother munching on weeds, father  playing with the two children--I stood next to a young woman in boots, patterned leggings, green hair and a nose ring who said softly, "They're just like us."


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6 comments:

  1. RubySeptember 10, 2013 at 5:14 PM

    Actually, I was expectin' a pack of Irish Terriers!!!!! BOL
    Oh, and that woman who make the comment sounds like she has the same wardrobe as Ma had in the 90's!! BOL (oh geeze, she just 'dated' herself...)
    Erin go Bragh!
    Kisses,
    Ruby ♥

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  2. Two French BulldogsSeptember 10, 2013 at 8:11 PM

    Momma loves the things
    Benny & Lily

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  3. Miles RindSeptember 11, 2013 at 7:54 AM

    Have they a li-cense for the moenkey?

    What percentage of DNA we share with one or another species depends on the units of DNA sequence being counted. The smaller the unit, the larger the figure for the commonality, and the larger the unit, the smaller the commonality. Richard Dawkins: "The often-quoted figure of about 98 per cent for the shared genetic material of humans and chimps actually refers neither to numbers of chromosomes nor to numbers of whole genes, but to numbers of DNA 'letters' (technically, base pairs) that match each other within the respective human and chimp genes." (The Greatest Show on Earth, p. 318.)

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    Replies
    1. SherrySeptember 19, 2013 at 4:48 PM

      Changing numbers do not change the fact that chimpanzees are our closest relatives, sharing many characteristics with humans--propensity to make noise and war, some aesthetic sense, use of touch when greeting, and so on.

      Delete
  4. meowmeowmansSeptember 11, 2013 at 5:50 PM

    They're beautiful and amazing! Thank you for sharing these lovely pictures of our cousins. :)

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  5. UnknownSeptember 11, 2013 at 7:05 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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