As you can probably guess, while that would certainly made for a fascinating experience, it also puts the Bilis at great danger to bush-meat hunters and poachers — which have until very recently not operated in the very remote region where the Bili Apes live. Female Bili Apes, however, have genital swellings similar to other chimpanzees. Their diet is also decidedly chimpanzee-like, consisting mainly of fruits (fruiting trees such as Strangler Figs are visited often). Why Do Meteor Showers Occur? They can stand on their feet and walk some distances upright. http://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/video/on-assignment-one-more-thing-mystery-apes-of-the-congo-686499907922
“The absence of a strong central government has resulted in most of the region becoming more independent and lawless. Hicks has said much the same thing, noting that while the chimpanzees are an endangered species and fully protected in DRC law, “it is only a law on paper”. Interestingly, Hicks has identified both the official security forces and various militia forces as the cause of much trouble, and corruption as well. The adult males show the greatest fear. However, chimpanzee skulls are 190 to 210 millimetres long, but Bili Ape skulls measured more than 220 millimetres, well beyond the end of the normal chimpanzee range. At a later point in the research Hicks had a lucky-break when one of the trackers he was working with suggested a place for them to visit. They may be a hybrid between a gorilla and a chimpanzee or a new species altogether. Chapter 3 of Among African Apes: Encounters with Bili Chimpanzees in the Undisturbed Gangu Forest One of the most interesting things he saw in that period of time, followed on the tracking of loud calls coming from what sounded to be the same spot for a number of days. How to Live In Peace with Your Cat and Small Pets? It is likely that this exploding bushmeat trade is now making its way into the Bili region with the gold miners. They are so endangered, that it was previously believed that they had gone extinct until a rare unknown group of them were found in a remote forest in a Nigerian-Cameroonian border. I’m in love with gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos. There are the 'tree beaters', who disperse high into the trees to stay safe, and who easily succumb to the poison arrows used by local hunters. The locals tell terrifying tales about these apes and insist that these chimps take on large regional predators like leopards and lions, killing and eating them. Williams described the experience thusly: Then there's the “lion killers”, who are larger, can't be taken down with poison arrows, and nest on the ground. Bili Apes have a very flat face, a wide muzzle, and their brow-ridge runs straight across and overhangs. Hicks' group later confirmed and somewhat expanded those observations, saying that when they encountered a large group of Bili Apes in the deep forests (far from the roads and villages), they not only approached the humans, but would actually surround them with intent curiosity. They have brow-ridges running straight across and overhanging; uniform gray fur independently of age and sex, which suggests that graying takes place early in life-opposed to all known gorilla species, where only males gray as they age (graying restricted to their backs). “Gorilla males will always charge when they encounter a hunter, but there were no stories like that” about the Bili apes, according to Ammann. Part 2:
Putting that thought quite bluntly when he stated: “I think the military are giving guns to the poachers.”. Williams described the experience thusly: “We could hear them in the trees, about 10 meters away, and four suddenly came rushing through the brush towards me.
Bili Ape skulls have the prominent brow ridge and may have a sagittal crest similar to that of a robust great ape, or gorilla, but other morphological measurements are more like those of chimpanzees. Within the species, there are two different types of behavioral patterns. They may be a hybrid between a gorilla and a chimpanzee or a new species altogether. Here are some figures worth reading related to that: Over a 14-month period between September 2007 and November 2008, researcher Cleve Hicks and his Congolese assistants documented 34 chimpanzee orphans and 31 carcasses for sale in the nearby Buta – Aketi – Bambesa region (seven of the orphans have been confiscated and adopted). “I call it the magic forest. http://news.mongabay.com/2014/0520-moll-rocek-chimps-drc.html That’s completely ridiculous and nonsense.
Instead, they would come face-to-face with their human cousins, stare intently in half-recognition, then slide away quietly. Brief but significant observations of the ape only began about 5 years ago so we will eagerly wait for more scientist to go deep into the Congo looking for the mystery ape.
“I don’t like to paint them as being more aggressive, but maybe they prey on some of these predators and the predators kind of leave them alone.”. Hicks' team has, in a year and a half of study, found no footprints longer than 30 cm, and most have been smaller. Heights can exceed 5 feet (about Gorilla height), their skulls are larger than chimp skulls, and their footprints are larger even than gorillas.
After investigation, it was clear what the calls were related to — he came dead-across a large male chimpanzee feasting gorily on a dead leopard.
Their footprints, which range from 28 to 34 centimeters, are longer than the largest common chimp and gorilla footprints, which average 26 cm and 29 cm, respectively. It really sums the whole thing up doesn’t it? In addition, Hicks observed a large quantity of okapi and leopard skins along with elephant meat and ivory. Sometimes referred to as the “bondo mystery ape”, the Bili ape is a species of giant chimpanzee that was long believed to be merely a myth. If this had been a mock charge they would have been screaming to intimidate us.
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Part One: Although they haven't been observed on too many occasions, the Bili is said to have a very flat face, a hanging brow ridge, gray hair very early in life, and about the same size as a full-grown human.
Given the fact that during the very limited time that the researchers were able to observe that population (and usually only from a great distance) there was strong evidence that they killed a leopard, certainly does make you think.
About/By Camera, Image Credits: Bili; Dr Cleve Hicks; Screen Capture, Tags: apes, Bili Apes, Bili Forest, bush-meat, bushmeat, camera traps, chimpanzees, chimps, Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC, giant chimpanzees, giant chimps, lion-eating chimpanzees, lion-eating chimps, Lukuru Foundation, poaching. Your email address will not be published. Then there are the 'lion killers', who seldom climb trees, are bigger and darker, and who are unaffected by the poison arrows used by locals. Instead, they would come face-to-face with their human cousins, stare intently in half-recognition, then slide away quietly. Much longer/bigger than the tools usually seen used.
The Bili Apes do not howl at the moon, instead they pant-hoot and tree-drum like other chimpanzees. The Bili or Bondo Mystery Apes are to be found in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and are described thus in Wikipedia… The Bili Ape is massive by chimpanzee standards. Also, interestingly, the community has what Hicks referred to as “smashing culture” — having found hundreds of large-snails and hard-shelled fruits that had been smashed open to get to the meat and fruit. While you may be now making the assumption that such stories can’t possibly be true, you’d actually be wrong — a fair amount of research has gone into this subspecies of chimpanzee over the last few decades, and there is apparently quite a lot of truth to the stories.
A species full of strange behaviors, the Bili feeds mainly off of fruits and vegetables, but legend has it that they been seen to slay lions. Cleve Hicks http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520267107, More: These guys were quiet, and they were huge. This baby/young chimpanzee in the image below isn’t a Bili — it’s a different subspecies — but I feel that it’s worth posting here. Colin Groves, a primate morphology researcher at the Australian National University in Canberra, noted: “The ground nests were very big and there was obviously something very unusual going on there. Out of everything though, the curiosity and naivety about humans is perhaps one of the most interesting qualities of the Bili Apes. Laura Darby and Adam Singh have seen another nine chimpanzee orphans and three carcasses in Aketi, Buta, and Bondo, since Hicks left in November.
It was actually offered for sale to Mr Hicks by a government employee, apparently.). Fact pages and pictures of curious creatures, Animals / Mammal Facts / Bili Ape - Mystery Chimpanzee or Gorilla. While it may not be something that many people in the modern world are aware of, chimpanzees are freakishly strong — much, much stronger than a human of the same size. However, they frequently nest in the trees as well. (Author’s note: Mr Hicks replied in the comments below and corrected me, the chimpanzee in the image is the same subspecies, and probably part of the same population as well. One of the first researchers to get a close up view of the Bili Apes — pretty soon after a 5-year-long civil war ended in 2003 — was a speciality in primate behavior by the name of Shelly Williams. Bili Ape skulls have the prominent brow ridge and sagittal crest of a robust great ape, or gorilla, but other morphological measurements are more like those of chimpanzees. First, there's the “tree beaters”, who locals have observed to be slightly smaller, nest in the trees, and can be taken down with poison arrows, more like a chimp. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/on-assignment/assignment-mystery-apes-congo-n567746 Appearance. Length of feet: 28 – 34 cm (11 – 13.4 in) – larger than the largest chimpanzees and gorillas Sorr, but chimpanzees hunting lions? Many scientists have come to believe that the Bili ape is some kind of missing evolutionary link between chimps and humans. "Gorilla males will always charge when they encounter a hunter, but there were no stories like that," about the Bili Apes, according to Ammann. I think more work needs to be done to protect them.
For example, they build ground nests as gorillas do, using interwoven branches and/or saplings, bent down into a central bowl. They are not unknown elsewhere but very unusual.”. Later observations by Hicks, however, reveal that they are knuckle-walkers like other chimpanzees that only occasionally walk bipedally. (As an anecdote, I recall hearing from someone that works with chimps a story about a large male putting deep dents into a very, very thick steel door (they have very dense bones).). Another interesting behavior that was observed was the use of sticks for ant “fishing”, which is a relatively common technique for “normal” chimps — but, in this case, the tools used were up to 2.5 meters long. Sometimes referred to as the “bondo mystery ape”, the Bili ape is a species of giant chimpanzee that was long believed to be merely a myth. Take your favorite fandoms with you and never miss a beat.
Nice post.A slight correction though: the photo of the baby chimpanzee tied to the papaya tree was taken by me in Buta in late 2007. Maybe they do eat lions?
Hicks clarifies the issue as follows: the apes within 20 km or so of the roads flee humans almost without exception. While “strength” is something that can mean a lot of different things, I suppose, there is no doubt that chimpanzees possess a degree of physicality that is simply lacking in modern humans — as a notable primate biologist put it, they are very “explosive sprinters, climbers, and fighters”.
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