Orangutang Goes Spear-Fishing

• Jerse
  April 27th, 2008 at 4:01 pm

  That picture is so awesome

• bean
  April 27th, 2008 at 4:05 pm

  I’ll be concerned when they start buying knockoff Kalashnikovs from Red China.

• SenorMysterioso
  April 27th, 2008 at 4:17 pm

  Cool. I always hear that one of the things that distinguishes man from animal is the ability to make and use tools. I also here quite often stories, such as this, of animals making and using tools

• sal
  April 27th, 2008 at 4:22 pm

  What’s the law have to say about animals poaching other animals?

• DrJones
  April 27th, 2008 at 4:44 pm

  I think this would be more reminiscent of 2001: A Space Odessy.

  Cool though!

• Edward
  April 27th, 2008 at 4:55 pm

  I, for one, welcome our new Orangutan Overlords.

• badgirl
  April 27th, 2008 at 5:36 pm

  So…did he catch anything?
  Will be impressed when he does AND fries it up with a lemon slice
  and olive oil…in which case, he can be short order cook for me
  anytime!

• Adam Stanhope
  April 27th, 2008 at 6:52 pm

  Unfortunate link to wingnut blog.

• Justin
  April 27th, 2008 at 7:05 pm

  I dunno, this is from the Daily Mail after all…

• fsmarch
  April 27th, 2008 at 7:07 pm

  He is not trying to spear fish.

  He is trying to pole-vault over the river.

• L
  April 27th, 2008 at 7:24 pm

  It’s “orangutan”. Not “orangutang”.

• mark
  April 27th, 2008 at 7:28 pm

  neatorama is becoming so fancy, i like it a lot like this ape!! :]

• CheeseDuck
  April 27th, 2008 at 7:40 pm

  I say we kill him before its too late.

• Terry
  April 27th, 2008 at 8:00 pm

  There is no reason to believe it’s spear fishing, it could be holding that pole for many reasons. Just because some dill states it was spear fishing doesn’t make it so.
  Only the gullible will believe this story.

• travelina
  April 27th, 2008 at 8:25 pm

  Here’s a National Geographic story and photo gallery about the Fongoli chimps of Senegal who make pointed sticks that they use to spear bush babies in tree holes:
  http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/04/chimps-with-spears/mary-roac h-text

• Justin
  April 27th, 2008 at 9:48 pm

  Fruit makes up 65% of the orangutan diet. Fruits with sugary or fatty pulp are favored. The fruit of fig trees are also commonly eaten since it is easy to both harvest and digest. Other food items include: young leaves, shoots, seeds and bark. Insects and bird eggs are also included.[12]

  Orangutans are thought to be the sole fruit disperser for some plant species including the climber species Strychnos ignatii which contains the toxic alkaloid strychnine.[13] It does not appear to have any effect on orangutans except for excessive saliva production.

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orangutan#Diet

  I see no mention of fish, and the only mention of protein are bugs and bird eggs…

  Travelina, I understand that we are discovering new and wonderful things about our fellow animals. I just have trouble believing this because of the source it came from. The Daily Mail as I understand it, is pretty tabloidy.

• cw
  April 27th, 2008 at 10:44 pm

  That’s a mighty straight stick

• Frank
  April 28th, 2008 at 4:30 am

  Nice one, Edward.

• Alannah
  April 28th, 2008 at 6:52 am

  Next they will be improvising nets and fishing poles. As long as we also teach them to drink beer when they fish, we should have nothing to fear from them.

• Chris C
  April 28th, 2008 at 9:46 am

  I’m calling shenanigans on this picture. I don’t think it is real. The ape just doesn’t look right compared to the rest of the photo, and I mean the look not the actions of the animal.

• marc
  April 29th, 2008 at 11:24 am

  when people are going to realise that eating meat destroys Earth? and killing animals like these apes should be punished like for murder.

• Ravi J
  April 30th, 2008 at 3:19 am

  The picture seems doctored.

• Ravi J
  April 30th, 2008 at 3:19 am

  By the way, you are quoting ace of spades. That’s funny.

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