1 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:13,080 Even before we knew we were related, we'd always known there was part of them in us, 2 00:00:13,115 --> 00:00:15,520 and part of us in them. 3 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:25,480 We can see ourselves in their faces. 4 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:30,800 We share a long family history. 5 00:00:34,840 --> 00:00:36,840 A sense of adventure. 6 00:00:36,875 --> 00:00:38,760 Courage. 7 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:46,120 A society and its battles. 8 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:54,680 There is an understanding of life and death here. 9 00:00:56,840 --> 00:01:02,120 What makes us human may not be uniquely human after all. 10 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:08,565 There are wild monkeys all around the world, 11 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:14,630 yet only recently have we discovered just how extraordinary they are. 12 00:01:17,211 --> 00:01:21,611 Clever Monkeys 13 00:01:31,046 --> 00:01:32,657 Nature 14 00:01:39,992 --> 00:01:44,373 Jodhpur in India, and the monkey gods are awake. 15 00:01:48,418 --> 00:01:50,252 Monkeys were here first. 16 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:55,520 We have a handful of other closer cousins, rare forest apes. 17 00:01:55,555 --> 00:02:00,240 But monkeys represent the blueprints on which we are all based. 18 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:08,840 Some monkeys live with us, and perhaps live more like us than any other animal. 19 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:26,640 We have no idea what they think and feel. 20 00:02:26,675 --> 00:02:29,040 We can, however, guess. 21 00:02:30,720 --> 00:02:35,240 And there are lots of different scientific theories. 22 00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:41,320 We do know they want to find out about everything, 23 00:02:41,355 --> 00:02:43,920 whatever the risks. 24 00:02:49,920 --> 00:02:52,365 Toque macaques will try anything new, 25 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:58,280 imagining rewards behind every closed drawer, tasting every new food. 26 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:12,240 DOG BARKS 27 00:03:12,275 --> 00:03:14,240 SMASH! 28 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:39,685 40 million years ago, 29 00:03:39,720 --> 00:03:42,600 in the ancient tropical forests, 30 00:03:42,635 --> 00:03:44,720 there were monkeys. 31 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:54,440 Our monkey ancestors may have looked a little like this. 32 00:03:54,475 --> 00:03:56,160 Tiny. 33 00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:04,240 In the tropical forests of Ecuador lives the pygmy marmoset, the smallest monkey in the world. 34 00:04:04,275 --> 00:04:07,640 It's the size of a hamster, and it hunts like a cat. 35 00:04:10,720 --> 00:04:15,645 Yet this monkey is closer to us than to cat or hamster. 36 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:22,400 The eyes face forward and see in 3D and colour, and have a powerful brain behind them. 37 00:04:22,435 --> 00:04:27,920 Hands have fingerprints, and claws are long fingernails. 38 00:04:29,960 --> 00:04:34,400 Being able to grasp physical objects also helps your understanding. 39 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:39,360 You learn things are there even if you can't see them. 40 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:45,120 Navigating around a tree is more complicated than flat ground. 41 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:54,320 Marmosets hold places and objects in their minds. 42 00:04:57,640 --> 00:05:02,600 Once you can picture things, you can perhaps imagine improvements. 43 00:05:02,635 --> 00:05:07,197 The marmoset family seem to. They "farm" sap from trees. 44 00:05:07,232 --> 00:05:11,760 Taking bites out of the bark has no immediate benefit. 45 00:05:11,795 --> 00:05:13,720 The bark is spat out. 46 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:20,400 The family makes ordered holes like planting a field of cabbages. 47 00:05:20,435 --> 00:05:24,760 A few days later, a harvest of sugary gum has emerged. 48 00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:37,440 Planning ahead is clever, but so are your neighbours, waiting for you to do all the work. 49 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:44,840 The family next door launches raids every few days. 50 00:05:49,440 --> 00:05:52,485 The owners are chased off. 51 00:05:52,520 --> 00:05:57,960 And the invaders gobble up as much sap as they can. 52 00:06:00,640 --> 00:06:05,360 The owners scent mark, which seems to give them new confidence. 53 00:06:05,395 --> 00:06:10,080 They rally their forces, charge and chase off the neighbours. 54 00:06:30,320 --> 00:06:36,680 A long time ago, the monkey mind turned to improving their world, 55 00:06:36,715 --> 00:06:38,840 and farming and warfare took root. 56 00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:47,160 Monkeys lived together to defend food and watch for predators, 57 00:06:47,195 --> 00:06:51,360 and numerous little societies sprang up. 58 00:07:01,080 --> 00:07:05,960 Each species made its own discoveries and customs. 59 00:07:05,995 --> 00:07:10,805 Marmosets and tamarins will often share childcare. 60 00:07:10,840 --> 00:07:18,520 The female emperor tamarin nearly always has twins, and she persuades two males to help look after them. 61 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:27,680 Their mother carries them, with the two fathers, neither certain of paternity, obediently in tow. 62 00:07:27,715 --> 00:07:33,800 When mum wants to offload the kids, she signals to her mates with her tongue. 63 00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:50,520 An obsession with their young, we now realise, is one of the things that is basic to all monkeys. 64 00:08:04,240 --> 00:08:10,480 The infants have a father each to look after them, so mum goes to feed on nectar. 65 00:08:12,080 --> 00:08:15,245 There's something curious about monkey babies. 66 00:08:15,280 --> 00:08:19,325 The silver leaf monkey, for example, has orange young. 67 00:08:19,360 --> 00:08:23,840 It's risky with predators around, it advertises defencelessness. 68 00:08:23,875 --> 00:08:28,560 But to the family, it says, "Help me, look after me. " 69 00:08:30,120 --> 00:08:37,240 Adults respond by worrying more, and devoting more time than if the baby wasn't so obviously vulnerable. 70 00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:42,400 So young monkeys can stay being babies longer. 71 00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:50,000 Childhood in monkeys is not primarily about a growing body, but a growing mind. 72 00:08:50,035 --> 00:08:54,045 A young brain searches for understanding in slow stages, 73 00:08:54,080 --> 00:08:58,800 hands reaching out, working out what things are, and how they work. 74 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:29,640 A baby monkey slowly builds its understanding of the world and of others around them. 75 00:10:16,640 --> 00:10:23,320 As physical growing slows down, monkeys have time to wise up. 76 00:10:23,400 --> 00:10:28,125 These white-faced capuchins in Central America are very clever. 77 00:10:28,160 --> 00:10:34,640 In fact, capuchin monkeys have a larger brain for their size than any of our closer ape cousins. 78 00:10:36,800 --> 00:10:39,799 One group near the coast is able to track the tides. 79 00:10:41,740 --> 00:10:46,980 When the water retreats, clams are exposed, and easy to collect. 80 00:10:50,100 --> 00:10:53,225 But not so easy to open. 81 00:10:53,260 --> 00:10:59,620 The trick is to roll and bang the clams hard, and often for a long time. 82 00:11:15,500 --> 00:11:18,980 The thought of what's inside is what keeps them going. 83 00:11:19,015 --> 00:11:21,220 It's hardly fast food. 84 00:11:24,220 --> 00:11:29,380 Monkeys, like us, imagine food they can't yet see, and it drives them on. 85 00:11:33,620 --> 00:11:40,420 After ten minutes, the clams start to weaken and the capuchins can pull open the shells. 86 00:11:40,455 --> 00:11:45,460 If you're disappointed, it can only be because you've imagined more. 87 00:11:50,719 --> 00:11:52,629 Opening clams is just the beginning. 88 00:11:52,664 --> 00:11:56,220 Some troops have discovered how to get the best out of termite mounds, 89 00:11:56,255 --> 00:12:00,020 or reach water by using their tail as a sponge. 90 00:12:01,340 --> 00:12:03,065 The young learn from their parents. 91 00:12:03,100 --> 00:12:08,060 They have what scientists call a culture. Monkey culture. 92 00:12:10,740 --> 00:12:16,620 But the most important things for monkeys to understand are their fellow monkeys. 93 00:12:16,655 --> 00:12:21,700 Outsmarting each other can make the difference between life and death. 94 00:12:25,980 --> 00:12:31,380 Most animals are wary of outsiders, and defend their territory. 95 00:12:31,415 --> 00:12:35,820 In monkeys, this has become a battle of wits. 96 00:12:37,900 --> 00:12:45,500 The capuchins move around like chess pieces, testing their defences, trying to trap unwary scouts. 97 00:12:59,240 --> 00:13:02,640 Previous battles and old grudges fuel the aggression. 98 00:13:05,280 --> 00:13:12,400 In monkey society, everyone is an individual, and different rules can apply. 99 00:13:12,435 --> 00:13:15,445 Friends fight for each other. 100 00:13:15,480 --> 00:13:19,880 Rivals and foreigners can be killed if you can catch them. 101 00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:41,240 Our feelings for friends and enemies are chillingly similar. 102 00:13:41,275 --> 00:13:44,920 This is part of our nature too. 103 00:14:27,880 --> 00:14:32,400 More capuchins are killed by each other than by any predator. 104 00:14:36,400 --> 00:14:41,960 The invaders retreat, with nothing gained from the battle except injuries. 105 00:14:43,560 --> 00:14:51,280 If murder and morality have roots in our past, then so too does compassion. 106 00:14:51,315 --> 00:14:55,640 The fighters return, and are soothed and nursed. 107 00:15:35,600 --> 00:15:40,880 Hands that when they were tiny explored the world and opened a mind, 108 00:15:40,915 --> 00:15:45,640 now demonstrate a gentle understanding of others. 109 00:15:58,880 --> 00:16:03,720 Grooming does more than clean wounds and remove parasites. 110 00:16:03,755 --> 00:16:06,800 It shows respect and affection. 111 00:16:09,520 --> 00:16:13,680 Monkeys' attention to their health goes even further. 112 00:16:13,715 --> 00:16:17,805 Some monkeys have discovered a few simple medicines. 113 00:16:17,840 --> 00:16:25,280 The leaves of the Piper plant are antiseptic, and used by people here in Costa Rica as an insect repellent. 114 00:16:25,315 --> 00:16:29,840 When a capuchin finds a Piper plant, they all become very excited, 115 00:16:29,875 --> 00:16:34,360 sharing, rubbing, disinfecting, and turning it into a party. 116 00:16:34,395 --> 00:16:38,697 Self-medication becomes a social event. 117 00:16:38,732 --> 00:16:43,000 We do the same. Think of tea and alcohol. 118 00:17:05,740 --> 00:17:10,260 A need to try everything is an extraordinary way to survive in the jungle. 119 00:17:14,900 --> 00:17:21,420 Here are leaves that can cure disease or repel insects, feed you or poison you. 120 00:17:29,540 --> 00:17:36,060 Knowledge, technology and culture are rooted here in the forest, in the hands of monkeys. 121 00:17:44,580 --> 00:17:50,105 In Sri Lanka, toque macaques fish for caterpillars. 122 00:17:50,140 --> 00:17:57,260 The caterpillars hang from the end of silk threads, but monkey hands can reel them in. 123 00:18:01,700 --> 00:18:07,465 Local knowledge and their unique culture are what they live by. 124 00:18:07,500 --> 00:18:13,620 They know a nearby lake is guarded by a six-foot monkey-eating monitor lizard. 125 00:18:21,180 --> 00:18:28,505 Trust monkeys to find a way to reach the delicious lily flowers, safe from the monitor lizard. 126 00:18:28,540 --> 00:18:35,860 Only the high born, the dominant in the monkey society are allowed to use these overhanging branches. 127 00:18:42,980 --> 00:18:47,740 Those at the bottom of the social scale have to take bigger risks. 128 00:18:50,780 --> 00:18:54,860 They take turns to watch for the monitor lizard. 129 00:18:56,460 --> 00:18:59,540 While the guards are alert, it's pretty safe. 130 00:19:01,540 --> 00:19:07,580 These lower ranking toque macaques will actually dive for lily roots and bulbs. 131 00:19:07,615 --> 00:19:11,905 Little of this amazing behaviour is instinctive. 132 00:19:11,940 --> 00:19:16,060 It was discovered, learned, and passed down the generations. 133 00:19:17,140 --> 00:19:23,100 Keeping an eye out for your family and friends is an important part of their culture too. 134 00:19:33,220 --> 00:19:39,020 Instincts in animals generally are automatic, restrictive but reliable. 135 00:19:39,055 --> 00:19:43,380 But learning can be forgotten, and concentration can lapse. 136 00:20:40,900 --> 00:20:46,820 What must a monkey guard feel when a youngster is lost on their watch? 137 00:21:16,660 --> 00:21:22,660 We can't know what they are thinking, but they behave in a way that we think we recognise. 138 00:21:25,140 --> 00:21:29,500 Another of the troop has been killed in a fight. 139 00:21:30,220 --> 00:21:32,425 He was the leader. 140 00:21:32,460 --> 00:21:34,900 It was a battle for control of the group. 141 00:21:40,440 --> 00:21:44,765 They are unusually silent as they gather around. 142 00:21:44,800 --> 00:21:49,920 The victorious new leader watches from the side, his injuries ignored. 143 00:21:49,955 --> 00:21:51,840 He does not interfere. 144 00:21:55,240 --> 00:22:01,480 Some who brought about the old leader's downfall are now tender and respectful. 145 00:22:08,720 --> 00:22:12,805 For many years he had been an ally, or a mate. 146 00:22:12,840 --> 00:22:17,080 He'd been a caring father to a whole generation of young. 147 00:23:08,760 --> 00:23:13,176 As scientists trace human qualities and feelings further back in time, 148 00:23:13,846 --> 00:23:19,355 so modern monkeys seem less "animal", more like rediscovered relatives. 149 00:23:20,478 --> 00:23:24,399 Many are very rare, like the golden lion tamarin. 150 00:23:26,875 --> 00:23:28,845 There's so much to discover. 151 00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:34,040 Why does the white uakari in the Amazon think a red face a good sign? 152 00:23:36,920 --> 00:23:41,200 Or the golden snub-nosed monkey in China have blue eye shadow? 153 00:23:43,120 --> 00:23:47,485 Why does the emperor tamarin have a moustache? 154 00:23:47,520 --> 00:23:51,740 The weirdest may be the proboscis monkey in Borneo, 155 00:23:51,775 --> 00:23:55,960 with a 9" nose, and a fermenting stomach like a cow. 156 00:23:58,360 --> 00:24:02,680 Perhaps the most beautiful is the Douc monkey of Cambodia. 157 00:24:15,960 --> 00:24:19,400 Howler monkeys call to declare territory. 158 00:24:20,960 --> 00:24:24,800 Lions roar and nightingales sing for the same reason. 159 00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:29,845 Howlers have a silent duet too. 160 00:24:29,880 --> 00:24:34,800 It's a love song, though in us it would be considered a little rude. 161 00:25:19,254 --> 00:25:22,652 The howlers seem to have settled something between 162 00:25:22,653 --> 00:25:27,447 Each understands the gestures and know what the others mean by them 163 00:25:27,448 --> 00:25:30,582 They can flirt, argue, or agree 164 00:25:30,583 --> 00:25:33,993 All things come up in our own conversation 165 00:25:44,582 --> 00:25:46,456 Of all the jungle in the world 166 00:25:46,457 --> 00:25:50,914 the frorest in Africa may hold the clues to our past 167 00:25:50,915 --> 00:25:56,178 it seems this may be the ancestor home of all monkeys 168 00:26:00,608 --> 00:26:04,256 our nearest relative still live in african rain forest 169 00:26:04,257 --> 00:26:09,642 our inteligence, such as it is, began here, and evoled here 170 00:26:09,643 --> 00:26:15,150 our hands that can do so much were originally for holding on to these branches 171 00:26:16,768 --> 00:26:20,185 but to what we are began in leaving trees 172 00:26:30,778 --> 00:26:34,976 black and white Colobus make it all appear quite relax 173 00:26:36,489 --> 00:26:38,959 babies are, of course, special 174 00:26:38,960 --> 00:26:41,054 in this case, white 175 00:26:42,898 --> 00:26:48,385 in the forest of east africa black and white Colobus eat toxit leaves 176 00:26:48,589 --> 00:26:53,160 each day, on colobus eats enght leaves to kill you and me 177 00:26:54,763 --> 00:26:58,334 they have a strong stomach and special bacteria 178 00:26:58,335 --> 00:27:01,376 but they don't seem to like the diet 179 00:27:03,683 --> 00:27:06,519 a close cousin of their, the red colobus 180 00:27:06,520 --> 00:27:08,532 has solved this 181 00:27:08,735 --> 00:27:11,691 with our help 182 00:27:12,932 --> 00:27:15,774 red colobus eat just as much toxin 183 00:27:15,775 --> 00:27:21,049 but one group has found the remarkable antibody in the forest 184 00:27:22,105 --> 00:27:23,970 they go to the local villages 185 00:27:23,971 --> 00:27:27,076 and eat charcoal from the village fire 186 00:27:27,077 --> 00:27:30,206 the carbon absorbs the toxin 187 00:27:31,077 --> 00:27:34,023 monkeys have the curiosity to try new things 188 00:27:34,024 --> 00:27:37,397 and the wisdom to recognize useful discoveries 189 00:27:37,962 --> 00:27:43,558 the trip must be relatively recent since the arrival of man 190 00:27:45,545 --> 00:27:49,465 free from the perpetual battle with food that may gill them 191 00:27:49,466 --> 00:27:52,760 they have more time to play and learn 192 00:27:59,578 --> 00:28:03,081 a chanced discovery has revolutionized their lives 193 00:28:04,981 --> 00:28:08,328 the black and white colobus may learn the trick one day 194 00:28:08,329 --> 00:28:12,623 but in the meantime they live with their pain 195 00:28:14,371 --> 00:28:18,674 the good forturn of red colobus extends to the geners of nature 196 00:28:19,045 --> 00:28:22,078 ? join the troop to be 197 00:28:22,079 --> 00:28:24,468 other ? line up 198 00:28:24,469 --> 00:28:27,402 this friendship has help scienctists to understand 199 00:28:27,403 --> 00:28:28,403 one of our greatest ability: language 200 00:28:34,520 --> 00:28:39,840 The jungle to us may seem a cacophony of meaningless sounds. 201 00:28:42,320 --> 00:28:48,440 Each animal listens to its own calls, and usually tunes out the rest. 202 00:28:48,475 --> 00:28:51,680 But some monkeys are multilingual. 203 00:28:59,600 --> 00:29:03,445 Guenons live here and there are several species of them. 204 00:29:03,480 --> 00:29:08,000 Each has its own calls for communicating with other members of its troop. 205 00:29:13,080 --> 00:29:18,565 These Diana monkeys have joined an army of other guenons - 206 00:29:18,600 --> 00:29:22,360 a United Nation of monkeys, and that requires them to understand each other. 207 00:29:25,640 --> 00:29:28,880 On the forest floor live sooty mangabeys. 208 00:29:28,915 --> 00:29:32,085 They specialize in gathering fallen nuts. 209 00:29:32,120 --> 00:29:38,880 Above are red colobus, spot-nosed and putty-nosed guenons, 210 00:29:38,915 --> 00:29:42,325 black and white colobus, Campbell's guenon, 211 00:29:42,360 --> 00:29:46,880 and the Diana monkey which live mainly in the upper canopy. 212 00:29:46,915 --> 00:29:50,677 These monkeys all behave as though they're one troop, 213 00:29:50,712 --> 00:29:54,440 moving through the forest together, resting together, 214 00:29:54,475 --> 00:29:56,805 and all looking out for predators. 215 00:29:56,840 --> 00:30:01,165 On the forest floor the sooty mangabey 216 00:30:01,200 --> 00:30:05,840 can rely on the eyes and ears above and relax, thanks to the alliance. 217 00:30:09,280 --> 00:30:13,500 If a red colobus spots something like a snake, 218 00:30:13,535 --> 00:30:17,720 it gives the red colobus alarm call for, "Snake". 219 00:30:17,755 --> 00:30:21,365 A spot-nosed guenon reacts immediately. 220 00:30:21,400 --> 00:30:24,765 If a Diana monkey high in the tree sees an eagle, 221 00:30:24,800 --> 00:30:28,680 the alarm goes up, "Eagle" and all the monkeys look up. 222 00:30:28,715 --> 00:30:31,400 Each species has a different alarm call, 223 00:30:31,435 --> 00:30:33,845 but they all understand each other. 224 00:30:33,880 --> 00:30:38,400 With 8 different monkeys, and about 15 calls each, 225 00:30:38,435 --> 00:30:41,165 that's 120 different sounds. 226 00:30:41,200 --> 00:30:43,870 The Mangabeys see a leopard. 227 00:30:44,184 --> 00:30:47,553 All the other monkeys call, "Leopard", in their own way 228 00:30:47,554 --> 00:30:50,338 but there are other calls in there too. 229 00:30:51,320 --> 00:30:55,320 If Diana monkeys hear a string of calls by a Campbell's guenon, say, 230 00:30:55,355 --> 00:30:59,257 they behave as if they were hearing a sentence. 231 00:31:00,302 --> 00:31:02,899 Their ability to understand other species 232 00:31:02,900 --> 00:31:05,736 gives scientists a running translation 233 00:31:08,092 --> 00:31:11,925 Some calls add detail - "Maybe," or "Not urgent. " 234 00:31:11,960 --> 00:31:15,079 if the sounds are in a different order 235 00:31:15,000 --> 00:31:16,482 it means something else. 236 00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:20,460 Grammar, the basis of true language, 237 00:31:20,495 --> 00:31:23,605 was once thought of as uniquely human. 238 00:31:23,640 --> 00:31:27,842 even chimps have not yet been shown to have this ability in the wild - 239 00:31:28,315 --> 00:31:29,589 but monkeys have achieved it 240 00:31:31,780 --> 00:31:35,625 Diana monkeys also have a voice box more like ours, 241 00:31:35,660 --> 00:31:40,900 so alarm calls may be only a small part of their vocabulary. 242 00:31:44,620 --> 00:31:47,192 If talking is an ancient monkey ability, 243 00:31:47,420 --> 00:31:52,140 we should find something similar in other monkeys around the world. 244 00:31:52,175 --> 00:31:53,325 In forests from Africa to South America 245 00:31:54,000 --> 00:31:58,211 scientists have found monkeys whose calls refer to predators. 246 00:31:58,255 --> 00:32:02,720 But do they ever use sounds for things when they can't see them, 247 00:32:02,755 --> 00:32:05,320 when they are just thinking about them? 248 00:32:08,240 --> 00:32:14,200 The white faced capuchins in Costa Rica live by streams full of danger. 249 00:32:14,235 --> 00:32:17,117 They are nervous, maybe imagining death 250 00:32:17,152 --> 00:32:19,965 lurking under every log or pile of leaves. 251 00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:23,480 They too have put sounds to some of their fears, 252 00:32:23,515 --> 00:32:26,960 and have different calls for different predators. 253 00:32:29,400 --> 00:32:30,965 A call goes up, "Snake!" 254 00:32:31,000 --> 00:32:36,240 The whole troop leaps out of the water and up into the trees. 255 00:32:38,960 --> 00:32:44,160 They soon calm down. Once noticed, most predators are of little danger. 256 00:32:45,195 --> 00:32:49,325 The warning system is built on trust and honesty. 257 00:32:49,360 --> 00:32:53,544 Yet, very occasionally, some monkeys deliberately shout an alarm call 258 00:32:53,695 --> 00:32:56,017 when there is no danger at all 259 00:32:56,052 --> 00:32:58,305 The reason for this deception 260 00:32:58,340 --> 00:33:02,780 lies in the fact that monkey society is very competitive. 261 00:33:02,815 --> 00:33:06,865 The leaders often take food from subordinates. 262 00:33:06,900 --> 00:33:10,905 The problem for a low-status monkey is not just finding food, 263 00:33:10,940 --> 00:33:15,220 it's hanging on to it, and sometimes they have to be a little crafty. 264 00:33:18,220 --> 00:33:21,620 Suppose a subordinate is acting a little strangely, 265 00:33:21,655 --> 00:33:23,540 watching the others closely. 266 00:33:25,580 --> 00:33:29,660 He then could, without any obvious panic, call, "Snake," 267 00:33:29,695 --> 00:33:32,626 and everybody leaps out of the water. 268 00:33:38,340 --> 00:33:40,545 While the others are looking for snakes, 269 00:33:40,580 --> 00:33:43,660 he could sneak down and recover a fallen bird's egg 270 00:33:43,695 --> 00:33:45,300 he could have been hiding. 271 00:33:50,560 --> 00:33:53,165 The leaders slowly return to the pool. 272 00:33:53,200 --> 00:33:58,525 It seems that lying may be as old as language itself. 273 00:33:58,560 --> 00:34:03,480 If our little manipulator is spotted with his egg, he's in big trouble. 274 00:34:09,120 --> 00:34:14,600 This sort of deception has been noticed in several species. 275 00:34:14,635 --> 00:34:17,920 It shows they imagine things when they're not visible, 276 00:34:17,955 --> 00:34:21,400 and it implies they are beginning to think about 277 00:34:21,435 --> 00:34:24,160 what each other may be thinking about. 278 00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:31,960 Millions of years ago some monkeys reached this point, 279 00:34:31,995 --> 00:34:36,440 and then took another huge leap into the unknown. 280 00:34:37,607 --> 00:34:39,675 They left the forest 281 00:34:50,238 --> 00:34:53,668 A good brain and a clever hand are useful anywhere 282 00:34:56,176 --> 00:35:01,302 this is a spectacular monkey military looking with the fine moustache 283 00:35:02,744 --> 00:35:06,959 it's at home in ? where is too dry for jungle trees 284 00:35:09,054 --> 00:35:12,489 Monkeys have been leaving the trees for millions of years 285 00:35:12,490 --> 00:35:15,076 But we are the only apes to do so 286 00:35:16,650 --> 00:35:20,444 some are what make us speciale come from living in the open 287 00:35:20,445 --> 00:35:23,302 the same is true for monkeys 288 00:35:25,200 --> 00:35:28,002 long grass is tricky if you are short 289 00:35:28,003 --> 00:35:30,247 so they are often seen standing 290 00:35:30,248 --> 00:35:32,719 and even walk on their back legs only 291 00:35:32,720 --> 00:35:36,883 when we left the trees we stood up on our back legs too 292 00:35:36,918 --> 00:35:40,761 the theory is it frees our hands to carry things 293 00:35:40,796 --> 00:35:46,365 like tools, babies, weapons and civilization grew from there 294 00:35:54,560 --> 00:35:58,800 but open grassland is a very hard place to survive. 295 00:36:03,835 --> 00:36:06,325 Fruits and flowers are scarce. 296 00:36:06,360 --> 00:36:10,640 There's nowhere to escape, and some very dangerous predators. 297 00:36:28,260 --> 00:36:32,380 Baboons have grown larger than forest monkeys 298 00:36:32,415 --> 00:36:36,500 and 80 or so baboons stick together for defence. 299 00:36:36,535 --> 00:36:38,900 They are wary and aggressive. 300 00:36:45,100 --> 00:36:48,220 The big males will often go on the attack. 301 00:37:24,160 --> 00:37:25,839 The young are helpless. 302 00:37:27,580 --> 00:37:31,225 Most animals here run from birth. 303 00:37:31,260 --> 00:37:37,038 Gazelles and baboons feed together, both watching for predators. 304 00:37:37,900 --> 00:37:43,180 The baboons make do with tough plants, insects and grass mainly. 305 00:37:47,380 --> 00:37:50,265 The fawns assume the baboons are allies, 306 00:37:50,300 --> 00:37:53,460 and don't realise that monkeys also eat meat. 307 00:38:16,100 --> 00:38:18,745 When our ancestors left the trees, 308 00:38:18,780 --> 00:38:21,740 we changed too, and became more predatory and dangerous 309 00:38:21,775 --> 00:38:24,317 than the apes and monkeys 310 00:38:24,352 --> 00:38:26,860 we left behind in the forest. 311 00:38:30,780 --> 00:38:35,985 There's more to learn in larger and more volatile societies. 312 00:38:36,020 --> 00:38:41,940 All monkeys can be murderous, but baboons seem closer to violence, 313 00:38:41,975 --> 00:38:46,177 as though anger and frustration were just under the surface. 314 00:38:46,212 --> 00:38:50,116 The lower ranking males find failing ambition very stressful, 315 00:38:50,151 --> 00:38:54,020 and become neurotic, with high blood pressure and ulcers. 316 00:38:55,700 --> 00:39:00,780 High ranking males are dictatorial bullies while their power lasts, 317 00:39:00,815 --> 00:39:04,660 but when deposed become ill and have symptoms of depression. 318 00:39:08,780 --> 00:39:11,900 Baboon society shares many of our problems. 319 00:39:11,935 --> 00:39:14,545 We're psychologically similar. 320 00:39:14,580 --> 00:39:17,385 Of course there are huge differences, 321 00:39:17,420 --> 00:39:22,620 but if you want to imagine your early ancestor on a hunt, think baboon. 322 00:40:27,220 --> 00:40:32,540 A clever political mind is essential in large groups. 323 00:40:32,575 --> 00:40:35,425 So the cleverest monkeys should be found 324 00:40:35,460 --> 00:40:39,380 in the biggest troops, equivalent to our towns or cities. 325 00:40:42,700 --> 00:40:48,740 In the Simien Mountains of Ethiopia live huge herds of geladas. 326 00:40:51,580 --> 00:40:55,660 Speeded up, they move like an army. 327 00:41:19,060 --> 00:41:21,625 Groups of mothers and their young, 328 00:41:21,660 --> 00:41:26,660 a harem, gather together to form troops of up to 800 monkeys. 329 00:41:28,940 --> 00:41:34,220 Geladas' hands are usually busy plucking grass instead of grooming, 330 00:41:34,255 --> 00:41:39,500 so to keep in touch, geladas have become the chattiest of all monkeys. 331 00:41:41,300 --> 00:41:44,705 The gossipy banter can sound to scientists 332 00:41:44,740 --> 00:41:49,020 like sentences with words or even names for each other. 333 00:41:49,055 --> 00:41:53,460 Most agree it's often used to defuse tension. 334 00:41:57,660 --> 00:42:01,900 In geladas, there's a lot to be tense about. 335 00:42:04,300 --> 00:42:06,545 There are gangs of young bachelors 336 00:42:06,580 --> 00:42:08,349 looking to steal females 337 00:42:12,220 --> 00:42:18,362 Each handful of females is guarded by a single male, the harem master. 338 00:42:21,300 --> 00:42:24,345 The bachelors are trying to tempt young females away, 339 00:42:24,380 --> 00:42:28,020 hoping the resident father figure doesn't notice. 340 00:42:32,540 --> 00:42:35,380 The males flash teeth at each other. 341 00:42:35,415 --> 00:42:36,585 They may fight, 342 00:42:36,620 --> 00:42:38,420 but it's usually just showing off, 343 00:42:38,455 --> 00:42:40,220 in case the girls are watching. 344 00:42:42,220 --> 00:42:44,820 There's a lot of flirting on both sides. 345 00:42:46,380 --> 00:42:49,700 And then if an innocent looking female is tempted to wander off 346 00:42:49,735 --> 00:42:53,580 past her guardian, he has to decide what to do. 347 00:42:55,500 --> 00:42:58,780 Females mostly sneak off secretly for affairs. 348 00:42:58,815 --> 00:43:02,060 This is a blatant challenge to his authority. 349 00:43:04,900 --> 00:43:07,345 The illicit couple just sit. 350 00:43:07,380 --> 00:43:12,020 The suitor seems to be using his hand to hide his grimace. 351 00:43:12,055 --> 00:43:14,665 He probably doesn't want trouble. 352 00:43:14,700 --> 00:43:20,460 Chimps, baboons and macaques may also try to look innocent when they break the rules. 353 00:43:23,340 --> 00:43:26,065 This is a complicated social problem. 354 00:43:26,100 --> 00:43:31,922 Using your brain to control societies is called Machiavellian Intelligence, 355 00:43:32,775 --> 00:43:35,795 and it's an essentially manipulating political power. 356 00:43:37,695 --> 00:43:40,385 Instead of launching into an attack, 357 00:43:40,420 --> 00:43:43,625 the politician here tries to grab a baby. 358 00:43:43,660 --> 00:43:48,500 Monkey etiquette dictates nobody attacks anyone holding a baby, 359 00:43:48,535 --> 00:43:51,265 so they are like living flak jackets. 360 00:43:51,300 --> 00:43:54,580 The mothers are worried, and quickly scoop up the youngest. 361 00:43:55,820 --> 00:43:59,385 Here, the two males face each other. 362 00:43:59,420 --> 00:44:03,020 The family man backs towards one of his more loyal wives, 363 00:44:03,055 --> 00:44:04,420 calling for support. 364 00:44:06,540 --> 00:44:11,420 One of the youngsters suddenly switches from mother to father. 365 00:44:11,455 --> 00:44:13,417 This should calm things down. 366 00:44:13,452 --> 00:44:15,345 With the youngster attached, 367 00:44:15,380 --> 00:44:18,540 the father is protected, and the harem should unite. 368 00:44:19,900 --> 00:44:22,100 But it can go wrong. 369 00:44:32,940 --> 00:44:36,580 The youngster is slipping off. The family are frantic. 370 00:44:39,860 --> 00:44:43,540 The harem master has no protection from attack. 371 00:44:51,140 --> 00:44:56,540 The bachelor is finally driven off, with a little help from the mothers. 372 00:44:59,940 --> 00:45:02,940 But the fathers are meant to guard the precious young. 373 00:45:02,975 --> 00:45:05,865 He knows he's in all sorts of trouble. 374 00:45:05,900 --> 00:45:10,620 If the infant dies, the mothers may not support him again. 375 00:45:17,700 --> 00:45:21,940 Our brain too, wrestles with our own similar problems. 376 00:45:21,975 --> 00:45:25,220 We are as social and as competitive. 377 00:45:33,300 --> 00:45:37,580 Intelligence sweeps in through monkey evolution, 378 00:45:37,615 --> 00:45:41,860 to apes and us, and leaves a chilling legacy. 379 00:45:43,860 --> 00:45:47,820 Becoming clever can mean being controlling, 380 00:45:47,855 --> 00:45:50,305 stressed, perhaps unhappy. 381 00:45:50,340 --> 00:45:54,320 The females are plotting, worrying for their young. 382 00:45:54,355 --> 00:45:57,927 He worries about other males stealing his wife 383 00:45:57,962 --> 00:46:01,500 All of them are thinking about whom they can trust. 384 00:46:04,660 --> 00:46:08,780 Is this the pinnacle of monkey brainpower? 385 00:46:08,815 --> 00:46:10,745 Monkeys also set us on a path 386 00:46:10,780 --> 00:46:15,580 towards co-operation, planning, tool-making and technology. 387 00:46:15,615 --> 00:46:19,500 The cleverest monkey perhaps took that path too. 388 00:46:36,440 --> 00:46:39,600 Stone slabs have been found in the forests of Brazil 389 00:46:39,635 --> 00:46:42,445 that have been worn into hollows, 390 00:46:42,480 --> 00:46:47,440 apparently by prehistoric people, using stone hammers. 391 00:46:55,000 --> 00:46:58,720 It turns out they were not made by humans at all. 392 00:47:01,280 --> 00:47:04,400 A bearded capuchin monkey starts the processing of palm nuts 393 00:47:04,435 --> 00:47:07,560 by tapping them to see if they are ripe. 394 00:47:15,920 --> 00:47:21,960 There are only 20 or 30 monkeys in a group, with fewer social pressures. 395 00:47:21,995 --> 00:47:26,165 They are thinkers and doers, not chatterers. 396 00:47:26,200 --> 00:47:32,000 The ripest palm nuts are stripped of their outer case ready to be dropped 397 00:47:32,035 --> 00:47:36,480 on to the ground to dry out, which will take about three days. 398 00:47:36,515 --> 00:47:40,965 Each stage seems very well co-ordinated, 399 00:47:41,000 --> 00:47:46,080 a routine in a monkey culture, choreographed to perfection. 400 00:47:46,115 --> 00:47:50,960 Tapping again tells the monkeys which ones are ready. 401 00:48:18,880 --> 00:48:21,100 The next stage may take place 402 00:48:21,135 --> 00:48:23,320 at the other end of the valley, 403 00:48:23,355 --> 00:48:26,165 the nut-cracking site. 404 00:48:27,600 --> 00:48:29,660 The hammers are of a harder stone, 405 00:48:29,695 --> 00:48:31,720 brought up from the river beds 406 00:48:31,755 --> 00:48:33,005 by the monkeys. 407 00:48:33,040 --> 00:48:36,160 They are heavy - some as heavy as the monkey itself. 408 00:48:38,880 --> 00:48:40,760 Palm nuts are extremely hard 409 00:48:40,795 --> 00:48:42,605 and difficult to crack open. 410 00:48:42,640 --> 00:48:46,400 It only works if you get it exactly right. 411 00:48:54,080 --> 00:48:56,500 Somehow these clever monkeys 412 00:48:56,535 --> 00:48:58,920 get amazingly good at it. 413 00:49:30,440 --> 00:49:34,320 Collecting a ripe nut has taken days of harvesting, 414 00:49:34,355 --> 00:49:37,117 testing, ripening, transportation, 415 00:49:37,152 --> 00:49:39,696 collecting tools and choosing sites, 416 00:49:39,731 --> 00:49:42,240 not forgetting years of learning 417 00:49:42,275 --> 00:49:44,280 in the nut-cracking school. 418 00:49:52,160 --> 00:49:56,160 The Year Two class is still wrestling with the basics. 419 00:50:02,200 --> 00:50:04,440 The sounds echo through the forest. 420 00:50:08,720 --> 00:50:12,120 Jaguars know it's monkeys at work. 421 00:50:14,200 --> 00:50:17,320 The capuchins always select their sites carefully, 422 00:50:17,355 --> 00:50:19,960 preferably below the edge of the escarpment. 423 00:50:22,880 --> 00:50:26,640 But it's more than just an escape route. 424 00:50:44,520 --> 00:50:46,805 more and more we are realising 425 00:50:46,840 --> 00:50:50,480 we are not the only intelligent life on the planet. 426 00:51:06,280 --> 00:51:11,520 40 million years ago, it seems, there were creatures with hands and eyes 427 00:51:11,555 --> 00:51:14,165 who took great care of their babies 428 00:51:14,200 --> 00:51:16,640 because they took a long time to grow up. 429 00:51:18,280 --> 00:51:24,320 The story has come down to us, seeing ourselves in their faces. 430 00:51:27,000 --> 00:51:29,645 recognizing that what makes us human 431 00:51:29,680 --> 00:51:35,160 isn't just human after all.