Animals that can think

Kanzi
A 29-year-old male bonobo, Kanzi has acquired an extraordinary vocabulary of close to 400 words. He communicates by pointing to a series of colorful symbols that have been arranged for him on three cards resembling place mats by the primatologists at the Great Ape Trust in Des Moines, Iowa, where he resides.



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Portrait of a Bonobo
Kanzi's ability with language can be breathtaking. He can build thoughts and sentences, even conjugate, all by pointing. The symbol sheets he uses include not just easy nouns and verbs like ball and run but also concept words like from and later and grammatical elements like the -ing and -ed endings that signify verb tense.



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Hanuman and Apsarah
Orangutans are also noted for their ability to imitate human behavior. At TIGERS, orangutans have been known to sit with people taking a tour of the institute, have tea with them and eat snacks. Apsarah is joined in this photo by Hanuman, a 3½-year-old male.

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Me in the Mirror
Kanzi checks out his reflection. Along with apes, elephants and dolphins can also pass the "mirror test": all three species respond appropriately when they look in a mirror after a spot of paint has been applied to their forehead or another part of their body. Apes and elephants will reach up to touch the mark on themselves with their finger or trunk rather than reach out to touch the reflection. Dolphins will position themselves so they can see the reflection of the mark better.

Inside the Minds of Animals


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Chillin'
Apsalah relaxes during her photo shoot with MacKay in South Carolina, one of three states the photographer visited to make this portfolio.



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