Apes - Tumblr Posts
In a recent study, it was revealed that apes, our closest living relatives, exhibit the remarkable ability to recognize both family members and long-lost friends even after enduring decades of separation. The investigation involved 26 captive chimpanzees and bonobos sourced from various zoos globally. These primates were presented with images depicting former groupmates alongside pictures of unfamiliar apes. The results not only validated but also provided concrete evidence for what primatologists have long conjectured regarding the cognitive capacities of these intelligent creatures.
(via Chimps and bonobos recognize friends, relatives they haven't seen in decades : NPR)
Nonhuman ape ratings
(this is done with comedic intent. I'm an ignorant fool. Don't trust me)
1: Orangutans. They're smart, but don't use it for evil. 10/10
2: (controversial) Gibbons. They're so underrated, there's the whole category 'great apes' to exclude them. Brachiation champs. Some hop sideways. 8/10
3: Bonobos. They're nice, but a bit associated with chimps for my taste. 5.5/10
4: Gorillas. They don't really have anything interesting. 5/10
5: Chimpanzees. Fuck those bastards. Give them the chance and they'll eat your fucking face. That's not hyperbole. A person had her face eaten by a chimpanzee. Both parties were at fault, but at least she didn't eat anyone's face. They take part in activity described as 'wars,' and they commit war crimes. They kill as many and as much as they can, then eat the fallen. If humans are space orcs, then chim-pan-fucking-zees are earth orcs. Ya know what I said about orangutans? Chimps are smart, and they use it for evil. fuck you/10
I swear I titled my drawing before I listened to the most recent episode of the podcast with the 'abominable' apes (incidentally, 'Torn apart by apes' will be the name of my forthcoming death metal album /jk). Once again, we've got a really nice variety both in style and interpretations!
(Also, thank you for making me do a spit take with your final addition...)
Bestiaryposting Results: Dulyamra
Odd one this week, and an entry that is... moderately identifiable? but also confusingly hostile. So let's just get into it. Anyone who's not sure what this post is can see https://maniculum.tumblr.com/bestiaryposting for an explanation and previous entries in this series.
The bestiary entry that people were working from can be found here:
And if you want to join in and draw some kind of Creature for the next one, the entry people are working from currently can be found here:
Art below the cut.
@ectocs (link to post here) was the first to post this week -- and this is their first time contributing to this! Welcome! We've got a bear-like critter here, and the weird puffy face is not unlike a mandrill, which makes sense. I think the threatening facial expression on this one is done well -- as are the clearly worried expressions on the juveniles. There's some interesting material explaining design decisions and a couple sketches in the linked post, which I recommend y'all go check out.
@silverhart-makes-art (link to post here) joined... most of us, actually... in being very puzzled by the bestiary's insistence that this is a Foul Beast. We get a sloth-inspired critter here, because famously sloths have a whole algae ecosystem in their fur, and some closed-minded folks may consider this foul. There's additional explanation in the linked post, including the note that Silverhart has given this creature anteater-style coloration because anteaters are related to sloths -- which I did not know previously, but now that I think about it, does make sense.
@pomrania (link to post here) decided that this creature should be a cynocephalus, but one with a red butt like a baboon to support the author's assertion that the rear is "disgusting and horrid". Honestly that makes a lot of sense with the entry, and it's always good to see cynocephali get more attention. Good direction to go. However, that butt is also unsettling for me, so I'm scrolling down to the next one now.
@sweetlyfez (link to post here) made the observation that a brachycephalic dog -- such as a pug -- has a creased face that many would consider hideous (or at least unethical) and ran with it. I like this interpretation a lot, and I really appreciate the coloration of the night-time scene here.
@cheapsweets (link to post here) really went hard on designing a creature that could be described as foul and hideous -- successfully, I think, because I don't think I'd want to be around this thing. The head close-up is, I think, a well-executed design for a rather frightening creature; and, of course, the overall beast here is something CheapSweets themself describes as "a semi-naked bear with a fat butt," which I think is something I'd rather keep my distance from. (Also, thank you for including alt text.)
@coolest-capybara (link to post here) took this in an interesting direction. (I always enjoy it when someone decides to make one of these an invertebrate, because it usually takes some creativity to justify it.) Anyway, here we have a hermit crab, which of course has arms in the form of claws, and can conveniently hide its "disgusting and horrid" rear end in a shell. As usual, the stylization is delightful -- I like the humanoid eyes on the crab and just everything going on with the moon.
On to the Aberdeen Bestiary.
Yeah, this is pretty evidently some sort of ape. I'm not sure which one, but the bestiary author isn't either -- it just says "ape".
I don't know exactly what the medievals had against apes; in the most recent episode of the podcast, we heard a medieval fable where someone referred to them as "abominable" as though that was settled fact. I'd say it's a lack of familiarity, but also those are pretty solid illustrations of apes, so clearly they had some idea what they looked like. (One of our illustrators this week noted that they find some primates a bit uncanny-valley, so maybe that's it -- apes are just too close to human without being human, and that makes some people uncomfortable.)
Anyway, we've got some neat sequential art here. Here is a hunter with a spear. Here is an ape at rest. Here is the ape getting up and escaping from the hunter. That's cool.
I don't really have anything else to add here. Apes.
EDIT:
Thought of something to end with.
... no, that's nothing. Still leaving it there.
"Grauer's Gorilla"
2021
Grauer's Gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri)
"Orangutan"
2022
Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus)
"Gus"
2023
Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)
Some months ago whilst convalescing from a pretty nasty case of food poisoning I watched Chimp Empire on Netflix, and I thought it was amazing. Chimp society sometimes appears very unnecessarily violent and cruel (not unlike ours), yet there were moments in the series where I was deeply moved with how closely knit and empathetic those chimp families could be towards each other. Again, not unlike us.
Naturally, I grew very fond of Gus, the socially awkward chimp, so I had to draw him.
