More entertaining that Planet of the Apes?
February 15, 2012 12:47 PM Subscribe
It turns out that apes really enjoy looking in a mirror. Combine this with an iphone and you get a pretty entertaining video
You might recognize the guy in the video from his Gaping Hole in Torso costume last Halloween. (via make)
You might recognize the guy in the video from his Gaping Hole in Torso costume last Halloween. (via make)
I'm pretty sure that's an Orangutan.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 1:03 PM on February 15, 2012 [4 favorites]
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 1:03 PM on February 15, 2012 [4 favorites]
It totally is, and I expect about a third of this thread to be centered on that fact, unless this comment alters the trajectory through observation.
Neat trick, though.
posted by Diablevert at 1:13 PM on February 15, 2012
Neat trick, though.
posted by Diablevert at 1:13 PM on February 15, 2012
Nah, I'd figure 3/4ths, at this point.
posted by MrMoonPie at 1:14 PM on February 15, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by MrMoonPie at 1:14 PM on February 15, 2012 [2 favorites]
That is totally not an orangutan. It's just a human, although he admits that he is kind of a geek.
posted by found missing at 1:14 PM on February 15, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by found missing at 1:14 PM on February 15, 2012 [2 favorites]
I went with ape as in hominid so as to be inclusive of the hairless apes at the end.
posted by Lame_username at 1:16 PM on February 15, 2012
posted by Lame_username at 1:16 PM on February 15, 2012
I am disappointed that the title of the video was not "Apes Lured By iPhone". That would've been perfect.
It reminded me of a visit to the zoo where I passed through the great ape house, and just outside one of the doors, an orangutan had set itself up in a little round window. Most of what you could see was its head, and the focal point was its huge deep brown eyes, scanning the passers-by, and flicking down from time to time to look at the cluster of children that had collected at the base of the window. That orangutan had some of the deepest eyes I've ever seen, and I had to wonder what it was thinking as it sat there, placidly observing the people who were observing it.
posted by EvaDestruction at 1:18 PM on February 15, 2012
It reminded me of a visit to the zoo where I passed through the great ape house, and just outside one of the doors, an orangutan had set itself up in a little round window. Most of what you could see was its head, and the focal point was its huge deep brown eyes, scanning the passers-by, and flicking down from time to time to look at the cluster of children that had collected at the base of the window. That orangutan had some of the deepest eyes I've ever seen, and I had to wonder what it was thinking as it sat there, placidly observing the people who were observing it.
posted by EvaDestruction at 1:18 PM on February 15, 2012
That was fun, but the ape eyes began grossing me out after a while, mainly because I'm a weirdo who gets the heebie jeebies about eyes. (And synthetic foam. God that stuff squicks me to no end.)
posted by slogger at 1:22 PM on February 15, 2012
posted by slogger at 1:22 PM on February 15, 2012
Which reminds me of a moment with an ape in an animal centre somewhere in Kent -- I walked around a corner and found him sitting near the cage wall, concentrating on rubbing two sticks together.
posted by Celsius1414 at 1:22 PM on February 15, 2012
posted by Celsius1414 at 1:22 PM on February 15, 2012
They arent the only animals that like looking at themselves in mirrors.
posted by achpea at 1:23 PM on February 15, 2012
posted by achpea at 1:23 PM on February 15, 2012
I'm pretty sure that's an Orangutan.
From the video, at 1:02:
"Technically these are orangutans and not gorillas, but my VP of marketing said we could reach a broader demographic if I said gorilla instead... also, it's easier to say... also, I don't really have a VP of marketing."
posted by not that girl at 1:28 PM on February 15, 2012
From the video, at 1:02:
"Technically these are orangutans and not gorillas, but my VP of marketing said we could reach a broader demographic if I said gorilla instead... also, it's easier to say... also, I don't really have a VP of marketing."
posted by not that girl at 1:28 PM on February 15, 2012
achpea, my favorite cat on her first day with me tried to outfox the elusive kitten in the mirror by staring at her, while very stealthily suddenlyswipingapawaroundtheedgetonabher.
Didn't work, so she circled the (freestanding) mirror twice more, then sat down in front and just thought about it for a bit. After that, she was much less interested in it.
Don't know if she ever deduced the "self" in the mirror, but AFAICT she was some sort of feline supergenius.
posted by IAmBroom at 1:29 PM on February 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
Didn't work, so she circled the (freestanding) mirror twice more, then sat down in front and just thought about it for a bit. After that, she was much less interested in it.
Don't know if she ever deduced the "self" in the mirror, but AFAICT she was some sort of feline supergenius.
posted by IAmBroom at 1:29 PM on February 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
When I was a little kid I went to the Granby Zoo with my family. At one point the chimps were checking out my grandfather so he popped his dentures out. This fascinated the chimps so Grampa kept doing it. Then the chimps tried to pop out their own teeth and ended up getting very agitated that they could not do this trick. They were screaming and flailing and my grandfather was laughing and popping his dentures. My mother made us move on before security came and kicked us out for upsetting the animals.
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 1:30 PM on February 15, 2012 [22 favorites]
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 1:30 PM on February 15, 2012 [22 favorites]
Very, very cool. I'd like to try this with my 5d :)
posted by jnnla at 1:41 PM on February 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by jnnla at 1:41 PM on February 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
I once saw a rhesus macaque try to "adjust" my friend's big toe (she was wearing sandals), so that it would be in the "correct position" on her foot. He was rather gentle about it, but very confused as to why he could not do so.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 1:41 PM on February 15, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 1:41 PM on February 15, 2012 [2 favorites]
I'm more interested in the people at the end. Have they not seen an iPhone before? Is the drive to look at yourself that strong? I understand the toddler, and that one woman was just confused and sort of alarmed, but the teenagers behaved just like the orangs [insert 90's observational humor].
posted by cmoj at 1:47 PM on February 15, 2012
posted by cmoj at 1:47 PM on February 15, 2012
cmoj: he's not holding an iPhone up to people; he's holding a big giant mirror with a hole drilled in the middle
posted by Riptor at 2:01 PM on February 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Riptor at 2:01 PM on February 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
He said a couple of times that the whole thing cost him "eight dollars." I'm pretty sure the iPhone and data plan cost more than that.
But this was amazing.
posted by elmer benson at 2:04 PM on February 15, 2012
But this was amazing.
posted by elmer benson at 2:04 PM on February 15, 2012
Get your charming paws off my iPhone you cuddly, loveable apes.
posted by panboi at 2:28 PM on February 15, 2012
posted by panboi at 2:28 PM on February 15, 2012
cmoj: he's not holding an iPhone up to people; he's holding a big giant mirror with a hole drilled in the middle
No, he's holding up the iPhone rather than the mirror, you can see it at about 2:05. And then you see people acting exactly like my siblings and I did back in the 80s when confronted with Sears' display of a video camera by hooked up directly a TV. Nice to see that some things don't change, even if the technology improves.
posted by EvaDestruction at 2:31 PM on February 15, 2012
No, he's holding up the iPhone rather than the mirror, you can see it at about 2:05. And then you see people acting exactly like my siblings and I did back in the 80s when confronted with Sears' display of a video camera by hooked up directly a TV. Nice to see that some things don't change, even if the technology improves.
posted by EvaDestruction at 2:31 PM on February 15, 2012
He said you could see the pupil dilate but it actually contracted. Let's devote the thread to that argument instead of the gorilla/orangutan one.
posted by sourwookie at 4:24 PM on February 15, 2012 [7 favorites]
posted by sourwookie at 4:24 PM on February 15, 2012 [7 favorites]
It gets meta when you imagine the ape named "onemeeeliondollars" reviewing the video he just uploaded to YouTube.
posted by rlk at 6:43 PM on February 15, 2012
posted by rlk at 6:43 PM on February 15, 2012
I'm pretty sure the original primates were just looking at his phone and thinking 'You're holding it wrong. You're going to drop calls that way"
posted by srboisvert at 3:26 AM on February 16, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by srboisvert at 3:26 AM on February 16, 2012 [1 favorite]
*drills a hole in his iPad*
posted by pracowity at 3:49 AM on February 16, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by pracowity at 3:49 AM on February 16, 2012 [2 favorites]
I wonder if the zoo officials had any comment on him bringing out a mirror in the exhibit. If I were them I wouldn't want any animals getting too self aware...
posted by punocchio at 8:56 PM on February 16, 2012
posted by punocchio at 8:56 PM on February 16, 2012
Great. Now I'm going to have to spend all day, sweeping up all these pieces....
...of my heart, which completely broke apart when the mother orangutan got her baby, so baby could look. Momma animals caring about their babies is never, ever not cute.
posted by meese at 10:16 PM on February 20, 2012
...of my heart, which completely broke apart when the mother orangutan got her baby, so baby could look. Momma animals caring about their babies is never, ever not cute.
posted by meese at 10:16 PM on February 20, 2012
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posted by Greg_Ace at 1:03 PM on February 15, 2012 [5 favorites]