The Ecology Book

120

M

odern molecular studies

mapping the genomes

of humans and other

animals have confirmed a theory

that was first suggested by Charles

Darwin in the mid-19th century—

that we share a common ancestor

with the great apes. Today, few

scientists would dispute that the

common chimpanzee (Pan

troglodytes) and the bonobo or

pygmy chimpanzee (Pan paniscus)

are our closest living relatives. The

study of these animals therefore

offers us a unique chance to learn

about ourselves and the origins of

our behavior. Yet for many years the

scientific community remained

convinced that humankind was

different from the rest of nature.

It was largely the work of British

primatologist Jane Goodall that

opened our eyes to the similarities

between chimps and man. In 1961,

in an excited communication

to her mentor, Louis Leakey,

Goodall announced an observation

that would shake the scientific

establishment: she had seen

a chimp using a tool. It was the

first time this behavior had

been documented and it would

challenge perceived ideas of what

it means to be human.

USING ANIMAL MODELS TO UNDERSTAND HUMAN BEHAVIOR

IN CONTEXT

KEY FIGURE

Jane Goodall (1934 –)

BEFORE

1758 Carl Linnaeus, the father

of taxonomy, dares to classify

humans within the rest of

nature, calling us Homo

sapiens (“wise man”).

1859 Charles Darwin’s

theory of evolution further

challenges the established

view that man is different

from the animal kingdom.

AFTER

1963 Konrad Lorenz publishes

On Aggression, proposing

that warlike behavior in

humans is innate.

1967 Desmond Morris,

a British zoologist and

ethologist, publishes The

Naked Ape: A Zoologist’s

Study of the Human Animal,

a major study that describes

human behavior in the

context of the animal kingdom.

In reality, we are Pan narrans,

the storytelling chimpanzee.

Terry Pratchett

British fantasy author

Great

apes

Lesser

apes

Old world

monkeys

New world

monkeys

Primates

Humans and their

closest relatives,

chimpanzees, are both

primates. This shows

how primates have

evolved over the last

66 million years.

The Primates Tree

Modern

human Neanderthal Gorilla

Chimpanzee/

Bonobo Orangutan

Gibbon Monkey Baboon Tarsier Lemur Loris

750,000–550,000 ya

6 mya

35 mya

40 mya

65 mya

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