day two-hundred-and-seventy-four - orangutan

hello, what a fine tuesday this is. yes, the weather is... grand, and the day's happenings are quite surprising indeed!

enough jibber-jabber, it's orangu-time:

© jem barratt

it's not the worst thing i've ever painted. let's put it that way. i really don't have time (or money) for a watercolouring course, so maybe i'll just have to teach myself.

oh no! that reminds me i was going to refresh my spanish... i guess that tells you how likely teaching myself watercolouring is.

if you look at this guy, you may be forgiven for thinking orangs are not faring too poorly.but it's a trap! the more mcdonald's you eat the more their habitation is destroyed. that is OBVIOUSLY a direct correlation - and i should know, i've almost enrolled in science already...

xj

day one-hundred-and-seventy-seven - orangutan

in phoenix suns colours no less

© jem barratt

he looks more than a little odd, but i like the eyes.

xj

day one-hundred-and-fifty-five - siamang

i sure do love me some gibbons. they pull so many great shapes with their lengthy limbs:

© jem barratt

other reasons to love siamangs:

- they look funny on the ground
- they wave their arms like an inflatable caryard man when they run
- they have funny faces

© jem barratt

- they inflate their throats to make an incredibly loud noise
- and they can fully swivel on one hand

yay for siamangs! go see the trio at the adelaide zoo - they're noisy, they whip around the treetops and they love to start fights with much smaller monkeys as well as the other gibbon couple on show.

xj

day one-hundred - gelada

geladas are known for flipping their mouth lips up to display their gums to the world and more specifically their rivals (and lovers alike):

© jem barratt

it is mildly terrifying to say the least.

i have been told that i can do the gelada lip thing well - and if that's not proof of our behavioural and genetic link to primates i don't know what is.

oh yeah... science.
xj