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Apes, Grooming and the NAWAC Self-Tagging Experiment


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Posted (edited)

Having only just recently digested the NAWAC's report on their experiment to Auto-Tag a BF with a cocklebur-encased radio tag, I had some thoughts. The first was, "Holy Cow!" that is really cool...and brilliant science. My hat is off to those boys and girls for this innovation that has implications above and beyond the BF study field.  Although the experiment is so far a unique one, and we will all want to know if the results are repeated,  something else occurred to me.

 

When I first read of their intention to try and hang up a cocklebur covered with rat-trap glue in the hair of a BF, my presumption was that this would be detected by the animal fairly quickly, or that it would "groomed" out by a companion BF in short order. If you believe their results, that didn't happen, and the tag kept on the move and sending out location data for months and until the battery presumably died. As far as we know, it could be riding on that BF as we speak.

 

So this leads me to some conclusions about the habits of this one BF, which leads me to some thoughts about a question that gets debated here: Man or Ape, or some of both?

 

I am firmly in the "Hominid" camp on this, for reasons not worth rehashing now. This experiment results though confirm my leanings.  Who has not seen a troop of baboons, chimps or gorillas grooming each other? We know they do it for hygiene purposes, to remove parasites, etc, but also as a social bonding ritual.  Somebody might contradict this with some research, but as far as I know, H. sapiens at least do not do that habitually or ritually. (Of course, I don't think we have any way to know if any H. sapien ancestors did)  

 

What say you...does this confirm or refute anything we think we know about BF?

 

Edited by WSA
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Posted

Social grooming to me is searching for salt ( they don't have trendy sea salt ).  

Admin
Posted

For those who haven't read the paper yet, it's available at the NAWAC website:

 

http://woodape.org/index.php/news/news/48-news/256

 

radio-tag-closeup-view.png

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Posted

Not sure I follow you Catmandoo...presumably by “they” you mean apes? How does grooming score salt for them? Most ungulates seek out natural mineral deposits, or “licks” and I assume apes do the same. Of course, for a carnivore the primary source of sodium chloride would be the flesh of their prey. 

Posted

We had Kathy and Bob as guests on our live Bigfoot youtube broadcast show a couple of weeks ago. They talked about that tracking device some on the show.

 

 

Admin
Posted

Is there any way to confirm it was on a Bigfoot and not a Bear or a Squirrel, etc.

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Posted
6 minutes ago, norseman said:

Is there any way to confirm it was on a Bigfoot and not a Bear or a Squirrel, etc.

 

 

Thought that myself. From their description they hung it around 7' in the air. They have a drawing of how they hung it on that paper Gigantor posted. Did it so something smaller couldn't pick it up. Could still have been a smaller animal and really no way to tell what was carrying it around. Could have been knocked down at some point and something smaller picked it up. Basically a cool project that will always remain inconclusive. If they really wanted to know they would have tracked down the signal long it was still operating and found what took it or where it was taken too.

Posted

There's a section where they hypothesize on other potential animals it could have been. It would have had to have been a flying squirrel. They cover that as well as a possibility.

Moderator
Posted

Tracks are always a good sign if they got the right subject would ya not think.

Admin
Posted

Animals are industrious.

 

 

Posted
13 minutes ago, norseman said:

Animals are industrious.

 

 

 

That blows up their essay. 

Admin
Posted
1 hour ago, NatFoot said:

 

That blows up their essay. 

 

It sure would have been nice to have some other collaborating evidence.

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Posted
2 hours ago, norseman said:

Animals are industrious.

 

 

 

This is why I deploy the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) method when hanging food:

 

Admin
Posted
3 hours ago, NatFoot said:

 

That blows up their essay. 

 

Not necessarily.

 

The technique can be tried repeatedly, it's not a single run trial.

 

It is a great idea other teams.should try. Maybe we should try to design a similar unit. Test it and post the parts.list so anyone can build it. Like we did with the sound recorders.

 

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Admin
Posted
54 minutes ago, hiflier said:

 

This is why I deploy the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) method when hanging food:

 

 

Much too light of a system for my needs. 

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