WINSTON WEEKLY^[1]

August 25, 2024

Vol. 2, No. 34

BABOON LESSONS

One of my earliest childhood memories was watching and listening to baboons with my mother. The small zoo near our first home had a few baboons, all of whom seemed to have their language and connections. Baboons are social animals, living in groups from eight to ten to more than a hundred, known as troops. They often groom each other and relax and forage together. Female baboons usually stay with the same troop during their lifetime of approximately 30 years, while males frequently leave troops when they become adults and join many other troops throughout their lifetime.

Research over the past several years has found that some species of baboons have several vowel sounds, two of which combine to create the familiar “wahoo” call.[2] An article in Nature five years before the study of vowel patterns in baboons notes that baboons use a method of pattern recognition similar to humans to identify English words.[3] Referred to as orthographic information or orthographic mapping, baboons and humans use similar methods to identify and position letters within a word for cues to learn and read. Although controversy exists regarding the appropriateness of any animal research, baboon research may eventually lead to solutions for reading disabilities such as dyslexia.

THIS WEEK’S ACTIVITY

The San Diego Zoo offers access to their “Baboon Cam” which provides an interesting perspective of the daytime habits of baboons and monkeys. The cam features either their Hamadryas baboon troop or their Gelada monkeys who share an exhibit with wild goats. www.zoo.sandiegozoo.org. For an in-depth look at African culture and the baboons in Kenya, Robert Sapaolsky’s book, A Primate’s Memoir: A Neuroscientist’s Unconventional Life Among the Baboons, is a worthy read, although some may find disturbing his descriptions of the Uganda-Tanzania War.

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[1] Copyright August 25, 2024. Winston Weekly is a weekly newsletter and blog by Alysen Bayles  available at www.baylesandbruce.com or by e-mail at baylesandbruce@gmail.com. Please feel free to share with the appropriate attribute. Alysen’s views are her own.

[2] V. Morrell, Baboons use vowel sounds strikingly similar to humans, Jan. 11. 2017, www.science.org

[3] L. Haghighat, Baboons can learn to recognize words, April 12, 2012.