Community Magazine December 2019

88 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE Exploring the Mysteries of the Animal Kingdom Torah Monkeys are known to be great imitators. We often speak of imitations in the negative sense, but imitating is not always bad; sometimes it is a highly desirable trait! When we see a person with fine middot , we often wish we could be like that person. But if we try to imitate him, we can, in due course, attain some or all of the person’s good qualities! For this reason, Chazal taught us to acquire good teachers and companions – so that we can copy their good qualities. Above all, we are taught to “imitate” Hashem Himself. This is what the Torah means when it commands us to “walk in Hashem’s ways” ( Devarim 28:9). Just as Hashem Monkeys have a natural curiosity that leads them to try new things. Perhaps because of their curiosity, monkeys are considered to be among the most intelligent animals on earth. Monkeys often imitate each other for survival purposes. Research has proven that groups of monkeys imitate each other when feeding, defending themselves, and traveling together. Scientists also believe that monkeys imitate as a sign of affection; it helps create a relationship between the imitator and the other monkeys in the group. Besides for imitating each other, monkeys also imitate people. In one experiment, scientists at PLoS Biology tested twenty-one newborn macaques (a kind of monkey) by holding each in front of a researcher who made various facial expressions. At one day old, none of the newborn macaques showed any imitation. By day three, however, they started to copy the researcher’s expressions, including tongue protrusions, mouth opening, and lip smacking. Monkeys like to be imitated by others, too. They look longer at people who imitate them, and are friendlier toward them. In fact, monkeys are more likely to trade things and play with people who copy them, and to accept food and water from them. So, it seems like the expression “monkey see, monkey do” really does have truth to it! Do Monkeys Really Copy What They See? Capuchin monkeys are skilled tool users. They can smash nuts with rocks, insert branches into crevices to obtain food, and use large branches to club snakes. Most Innovative Macaque Monkey