1
00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:22,680
Even before we knew we were related,
we'd always known there was
part of them in us,

2
00:00:22,715 --> 00:00:25,120
and part of us in them.

3
00:00:32,520 --> 00:00:35,080
We can see ourselves in their faces.

4
00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:40,400
We share a long family history.

5
00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:46,440
A sense of adventure.

6
00:00:46,475 --> 00:00:48,360
Courage.

7
00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:55,720
A society and its battles.

8
00:00:59,560 --> 00:01:04,280
There is an understanding
of life and death here.

9
00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:11,720
What makes us human
may not be uniquely human after all.

10
00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:18,165
There are wild monkeys
all around the world,

11
00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:22,320
yet only recently have we discovered
just how extraordinary they are.

12
00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:39,240
Jodhpur in India, and
the monkey gods are awake.

13
00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:44,800
Monkeys were here first.

14
00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:51,120
We have a handful of other
closer cousins, rare forest apes.

15
00:01:51,155 --> 00:01:55,840
But monkeys represent the blueprints
on which we are all based.

16
00:01:58,920 --> 00:02:04,440
Some monkeys live with us,
and perhaps live more like us
than any other animal.

17
00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:22,240
We have no idea what
they think and feel.

18
00:02:22,275 --> 00:02:24,640
We can, however, guess.

19
00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:30,840
And there are lots of
different scientific theories.

20
00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:36,920
We do know they want to
find out about everything,

21
00:02:36,955 --> 00:02:39,520
whatever the risks.

22
00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:47,965
Toque macaques will try anything new,

23
00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:53,880
imagining rewards behind every closed
drawer, tasting every new food.

24
00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:07,840
DOG BARKS

25
00:03:07,875 --> 00:03:09,840
SMASH!

26
00:03:31,920 --> 00:03:34,285
40 million years ago,

27
00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:37,200
in the ancient tropical forests,

28
00:03:37,235 --> 00:03:39,320
there were monkeys.

29
00:03:44,280 --> 00:03:49,040
Our monkey ancestors may have
looked a little like this.

30
00:03:49,075 --> 00:03:50,760
Tiny.

31
00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:58,840
In the tropical forests of Ecuador
lives the pygmy marmoset,
the smallest monkey in the world.

32
00:03:58,875 --> 00:04:02,240
It's the size of a hamster,
and it hunts like a cat.

33
00:04:05,320 --> 00:04:10,245
Yet this monkey is closer
to us than to cat or hamster.

34
00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:17,000
The eyes face forward
and see in 3D and colour, and have
a powerful brain behind them.

35
00:04:17,035 --> 00:04:22,520
Hands have fingerprints,
and claws are long fingernails.

36
00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:29,000
Being able to grasp physical objects
also helps your understanding.

37
00:04:30,120 --> 00:04:33,960
You learn things are there
even if you can't see them.

38
00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:39,720
Navigating around a tree
is more complicated than flat ground.

39
00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:48,920
Marmosets hold places
and objects in their minds.

40
00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:57,200
Once you can picture things,
you can perhaps imagine improvements.

41
00:04:57,235 --> 00:05:01,797
The marmoset family seem to.
They "farm" sap from trees.

42
00:05:01,832 --> 00:05:06,360
Taking bites out of the bark
has no immediate benefit.

43
00:05:06,395 --> 00:05:08,320
The bark is spat out.

44
00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:15,000
The family makes ordered holes
like planting a field of cabbages.

45
00:05:15,035 --> 00:05:19,360
A few days later,
a harvest of sugary gum has emerged.

46
00:05:26,040 --> 00:05:32,040
Planning ahead is clever,
but so are your neighbours,
waiting for you to do all the work.

47
00:05:33,960 --> 00:05:39,440
The family next door
launches raids every few days.

48
00:05:44,040 --> 00:05:47,085
The owners are chased off.

49
00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:52,560
And the invaders gobble up
as much sap as they can.

50
00:05:55,240 --> 00:05:59,960
The owners scent mark, which
seems to give them new confidence.

51
00:05:59,995 --> 00:06:04,680
They rally their forces, charge
and chase off the neighbours.

52
00:06:24,920 --> 00:06:31,280
A long time ago, the monkey mind
turned to improving their world,

53
00:06:31,315 --> 00:06:33,440
and farming and warfare took root.

54
00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:41,760
Monkeys lived together to defend
food and watch for predators,

55
00:06:41,795 --> 00:06:45,960
and numerous little societies
sprang up.

56
00:06:55,680 --> 00:07:00,560
Each species made its own
discoveries and customs.

57
00:07:00,595 --> 00:07:05,405
Marmosets and tamarins
will often share childcare.

58
00:07:05,440 --> 00:07:13,120
The female emperor tamarin nearly
always has twins, and she persuades
two males to help look after them.

59
00:07:15,400 --> 00:07:22,280
Their mother carries them,
with the two fathers, neither certain
of paternity, obediently in tow.

60
00:07:22,315 --> 00:07:28,400
When mum wants to offload the kids,
she signals to her mates
with her tongue.

61
00:07:38,760 --> 00:07:45,120
An obsession with their young,
we now realise, is one of the things
that is basic to all monkeys.

62
00:07:58,840 --> 00:08:05,080
The infants have a father each
to look after them, so mum
goes to feed on nectar.

63
00:08:06,680 --> 00:08:09,845
There's something curious
about monkey babies.

64
00:08:09,880 --> 00:08:13,925
The silver leaf monkey, for example,
has orange young.

65
00:08:13,960 --> 00:08:18,440
It's risky with predators around,
it advertises defencelessness.

66
00:08:18,475 --> 00:08:23,160
But to the family, it says,
"Help me, look after me. "

67
00:08:24,720 --> 00:08:31,840
Adults respond by worrying more,
and devoting more time than if the
baby wasn't so obviously vulnerable.

68
00:08:32,920 --> 00:08:37,000
So young monkeys can
stay being babies longer.

69
00:08:38,960 --> 00:08:44,600
Childhood in monkeys is not
primarily about a growing body,
but a growing mind.

70
00:08:44,635 --> 00:08:48,645
A young brain searches for
understanding in slow stages,

71
00:08:48,680 --> 00:08:53,400
hands reaching out, working out
what things are, and how they work.

72
00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:24,240
A baby monkey slowly
builds its understanding of the world
and of others around them.

73
00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:33,920
As physical growing slows down,
so monkeys have time to wise up.

74
00:09:54,280 --> 00:09:57,280
Awareness dawns in infancy.

75
00:09:58,320 --> 00:10:02,000
Intelligence awakes
and takes control.

76
00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:22,325
These white-faced capuchins in
Central America are very clever.

77
00:10:22,360 --> 00:10:28,840
In fact, capuchin monkeys
have a larger brain for their size
than any of our closer ape cousins.

78
00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:36,405
One group near the coast
is able to track the tides.

79
00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:41,680
When the water retreats, clams
are exposed, and easy to collect.

80
00:10:44,800 --> 00:10:47,925
But not so easy to open.

81
00:10:47,960 --> 00:10:54,320
The trick is to roll
and bang the clams hard,
and often for a long time.

82
00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:13,680
The thought of what's inside
is what keeps them going.

83
00:11:13,715 --> 00:11:15,920
It's hardly fast food.

84
00:11:18,920 --> 00:11:24,080
Monkeys, like us, imagine food they
can't yet see, and it drives them on.

85
00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:35,120
After ten minutes,
the clams start to weaken and the
capuchins can pull open the shells.

86
00:11:35,155 --> 00:11:40,160
If you're disappointed, it can only
be because you've imagined more.

87
00:11:44,360 --> 00:11:46,205
Opening clams is just the beginning.

88
00:11:46,240 --> 00:11:50,920
Some troops have discovered how to
get the best out of termite mounds,

89
00:11:50,955 --> 00:11:54,720
or reach water by using their tail
as a sponge.

90
00:11:56,640 --> 00:11:58,365
The young learn from their parents.

91
00:11:58,400 --> 00:12:03,360
They have what scientists call
a culture. Monkey culture.

92
00:12:06,040 --> 00:12:11,920
But the most important things
for monkeys to understand
are their fellow monkeys.

93
00:12:11,955 --> 00:12:17,000
Outsmarting each other can make the
difference between life and death.

94
00:12:21,280 --> 00:12:26,680
Most animals are wary of outsiders,
and defend their territory.

95
00:12:26,715 --> 00:12:31,120
In monkeys,
this has become a battle of wits.

96
00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:40,800
The capuchins move around like chess
pieces, testing their defences,
trying to trap unwary scouts.

97
00:12:53,240 --> 00:12:56,640
Previous battles and old
grudges fuel the aggression.

98
00:12:59,280 --> 00:13:06,400
In monkey society,
everyone is an individual,
and different rules can apply.

99
00:13:06,435 --> 00:13:09,445
Friends fight for each other.

100
00:13:09,480 --> 00:13:13,880
Rivals and foreigners can be
killed if you can catch them.

101
00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:35,240
Our feelings for friends and
enemies are chillingly similar.

102
00:13:35,275 --> 00:13:38,920
This is part of our nature too.

103
00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:26,400
More capuchins are killed by
each other than by any predator.

104
00:14:30,400 --> 00:14:35,960
The invaders retreat,
with nothing gained from the battle
except injuries.

105
00:14:37,560 --> 00:14:45,280
If murder and morality have
roots in our past, then so
too does compassion.

106
00:14:45,315 --> 00:14:49,640
The fighters return,
and are soothed and nursed.

107
00:15:29,600 --> 00:15:34,880
Hands that when they were tiny
explored the world and opened a mind,

108
00:15:34,915 --> 00:15:39,640
now demonstrate a gentle
understanding of others.

109
00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:57,720
Grooming does more than
clean wounds and remove parasites.

110
00:15:57,755 --> 00:16:00,800
It shows respect and affection.

111
00:16:03,520 --> 00:16:07,680
Monkeys' attention to their
health goes even further.

112
00:16:07,715 --> 00:16:11,805
Some monkeys have discovered
a few simple medicines.

113
00:16:11,840 --> 00:16:19,280
The leaves of the Piper plant are
antiseptic, and used by people here
in Costa Rica as an insect repellent.

114
00:16:19,315 --> 00:16:23,840
When a capuchin finds a Piper
plant, they all become very excited,

115
00:16:23,875 --> 00:16:28,360
sharing, rubbing, disinfecting,
and turning it into a party.

116
00:16:28,395 --> 00:16:32,697
Self-medication
becomes a social event.

117
00:16:32,732 --> 00:16:37,000
We do the same.
Think of tea and alcohol.

118
00:17:01,040 --> 00:17:05,560
A need to try everything
is an extraordinary way
to survive in the jungle.

119
00:17:10,200 --> 00:17:16,720
Here are leaves that can cure
disease or repel insects,
feed you or poison you.

120
00:17:24,840 --> 00:17:31,360
Knowledge, technology and culture
are rooted here in the forest,
in the hands of monkeys.

121
00:17:39,880 --> 00:17:45,405
In Sri Lanka,
toque macaques fish for caterpillars.

122
00:17:45,440 --> 00:17:52,560
The caterpillars hang from
the end of silk threads,
but monkey hands can reel them in.

123
00:17:57,000 --> 00:18:02,765
Local knowledge and their unique
culture are what they live by.

124
00:18:02,800 --> 00:18:08,920
They know a nearby lake
is guarded by a six-foot
monkey-eating monitor lizard.

125
00:18:16,480 --> 00:18:23,805
Trust monkeys to find a way to
reach the delicious lily flowers,
safe from the monitor lizard.

126
00:18:23,840 --> 00:18:31,160
Only the high born, the dominant
in the monkey society are allowed
to use these overhanging branches.

127
00:18:38,280 --> 00:18:43,040
Those at the bottom of the social
scale have to take bigger risks.

128
00:18:46,080 --> 00:18:50,160
They take turns to watch
for the monitor lizard.

129
00:18:51,760 --> 00:18:54,840
While the guards are alert,
it's pretty safe.

130
00:18:56,840 --> 00:19:02,880
These lower ranking toque
macaques will actually dive
for lily roots and bulbs.

131
00:19:02,915 --> 00:19:07,205
Little of this amazing
behaviour is instinctive.

132
00:19:07,240 --> 00:19:11,360
It was discovered, learned,
and passed down the generations.

133
00:19:12,440 --> 00:19:18,400
Keeping an eye out for your family
and friends is an important
part of their culture too.

134
00:19:28,520 --> 00:19:34,320
Instincts in animals generally are
automatic, restrictive but reliable.

135
00:19:34,355 --> 00:19:38,680
But learning can be forgotten,
and concentration can lapse.

136
00:20:36,200 --> 00:20:42,120
What must a monkey guard feel when
a youngster is lost on their watch?

137
00:21:11,960 --> 00:21:17,960
We can't know what they are thinking,
but they behave in a way that
we imagine we recognise.

138
00:21:21,440 --> 00:21:25,800
Another of the troop
has been killed in a fight.

139
00:21:27,520 --> 00:21:29,725
He was the leader.

140
00:21:29,760 --> 00:21:32,200
It was a battle for
control of the group.

141
00:21:34,240 --> 00:21:38,565
They are unusually silent
as they gather around.

142
00:21:38,600 --> 00:21:43,720
The victorious new leader watches
from the side, his injuries ignored.

143
00:21:43,755 --> 00:21:45,640
He does not interfere.

144
00:21:49,040 --> 00:21:55,280
Some who brought about
the old leader's downfall
are now tender and respectful.

145
00:22:04,520 --> 00:22:08,605
For many years he had been an ally,
or a mate.

146
00:22:08,640 --> 00:22:12,880
He'd been a caring father
to a whole generation of young.

147
00:23:02,560 --> 00:23:08,300
As scientists trace human qualities
and feelings further back in time,

148
00:23:08,335 --> 00:23:14,040
so modern monkeys seem less "animal",
more like rediscovered relatives.

149
00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:21,640
Many are very rare,
like the golden lion tamarin.

150
00:23:21,675 --> 00:23:23,645
There's so much to discover.

151
00:23:23,680 --> 00:23:28,840
Why does the white uakari in the
Amazon think a red face a good sign?

152
00:23:31,720 --> 00:23:36,000
Or the golden snub-nosed monkey
in China have blue eye shadow?

153
00:23:37,920 --> 00:23:42,285
Why does the emperor
tamarin have a moustache?

154
00:23:42,320 --> 00:23:46,540
The weirdest may be the
proboscis monkey in Borneo,

155
00:23:46,575 --> 00:23:50,760
with a 9" nose,
and a fermenting stomach like a cow.

156
00:23:53,160 --> 00:23:57,480
Perhaps the most beautiful
is the Douc monkey of Cambodia.

157
00:23:59,200 --> 00:24:03,400
Every monkey has its
own different character and story.

158
00:24:10,760 --> 00:24:14,200
Howler monkeys
call to declare territory.

159
00:24:15,760 --> 00:24:19,600
Lions roar and nightingales sing
for the same reason.

160
00:24:21,240 --> 00:24:24,645
Howlers have a silent duet too.

161
00:24:24,680 --> 00:24:29,600
It's a love song, though in us it
would be considered a little rude.

162
00:24:54,120 --> 00:24:57,840
All animals instinctively
pair together.

163
00:24:57,875 --> 00:25:01,045
But if monkeys are at all sensitive,

164
00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:05,200
if they can guess what
another monkey may be thinking,

165
00:25:05,235 --> 00:25:09,320
if they have memories and make plans
for the future,

166
00:25:09,355 --> 00:25:13,520
it must be surprisingly close
to how we feel.

167
00:25:43,720 --> 00:25:48,520
We give words
to thoughts and feelings.

168
00:25:48,555 --> 00:25:53,285
Without words,
is thinking even possible?

169
00:25:53,320 --> 00:25:58,640
The jungle to us may seem a
cacophony of meaningless sounds.

170
00:26:06,120 --> 00:26:12,240
Each animal listens to its own calls,
and usually tunes out the rest.

171
00:26:12,275 --> 00:26:15,480
But some monkeys are multilingual.

172
00:26:23,400 --> 00:26:27,245
Guenons live here and
there are several species of them.

173
00:26:27,280 --> 00:26:31,800
Each has its own calls for
communicating with other
members of its troop.

174
00:26:35,880 --> 00:26:41,365
These Diana monkeys have joined
an army of other guenons -

175
00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:45,160
a United Nation of monkeys, and that
requires them to understand
each other.

176
00:26:48,440 --> 00:26:51,680
On the forest floor live
sooty mangabeys.

177
00:26:51,715 --> 00:26:54,885
They specialize
in gathering fallen nuts.

178
00:26:54,920 --> 00:27:01,680
Above are red colobus,
spot-nosed and putty-nosed guenons,

179
00:27:01,715 --> 00:27:05,125
black and white colobus, Campbell's
guenon,

180
00:27:05,160 --> 00:27:09,680
and the Diana monkey which
live mainly in the upper canopy.

181
00:27:09,715 --> 00:27:13,477
These monkeys all behave as though
they're one troop,

182
00:27:13,512 --> 00:27:17,240
moving through the forest together,
resting together,

183
00:27:17,275 --> 00:27:19,605
and all looking out for predators.

184
00:27:19,640 --> 00:27:23,965
On the forest floor
the sooty mangabey

185
00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:28,640
can rely on the eyes and ears above
and relax, thanks to the alliance.

186
00:27:32,080 --> 00:27:36,300
If a red colobus spots something like
a snake,

187
00:27:36,335 --> 00:27:40,520
it gives the red colobus
alarm call for, "Snake".

188
00:27:40,555 --> 00:27:44,165
A spot-nosed guenon
reacts immediately.

189
00:27:44,200 --> 00:27:47,565
If a Diana monkey high in the tree
sees an eagle,

190
00:27:47,600 --> 00:27:51,480
the alarm goes up,
"Eagle" and all the monkeys look up.

191
00:27:51,515 --> 00:27:54,200
Each species has a
different alarm call,

192
00:27:54,235 --> 00:27:56,645
but they all understand each other.

193
00:27:56,680 --> 00:28:01,200
With 8 different monkeys,
and about 15 calls each,

194
00:28:01,235 --> 00:28:03,965
that's 120 different sounds.

195
00:28:04,000 --> 00:28:07,480
The Mangabeys see a leopard. All
the other monkeys call, "Leopard",

196
00:28:07,515 --> 00:28:12,080
in their own way, but there
are other calls in there too.

197
00:28:12,115 --> 00:28:15,137
Diana monkeys have
been the most studied.

198
00:28:15,172 --> 00:28:18,125
Their ability to understand
other species

199
00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:23,085
gives scientists a running
translation of other monkey calls.

200
00:28:23,120 --> 00:28:27,120
If Diana monkeys hear a string of
calls by a Campbell's guenon, say,

201
00:28:27,155 --> 00:28:31,057
they behave as if they were
hearing a sentence.

202
00:28:31,092 --> 00:28:34,925
Some calls add detail -
"Maybe," or "Not urgent. "

203
00:28:34,960 --> 00:28:38,640
With another guenon, if the
sounds are in a different order,

204
00:28:38,675 --> 00:28:40,245
it means something else.

205
00:28:40,280 --> 00:28:43,460
Grammar, the basis of true language,

206
00:28:43,495 --> 00:28:46,605
was once thought of
as uniquely human.

207
00:28:46,640 --> 00:28:51,280
Chimps have not yet been shown to
have this ability in the wild -

208
00:28:51,315 --> 00:28:53,245
only monkeys and people.

209
00:28:53,280 --> 00:28:57,125
Diana monkeys also have a
voice box more like ours,

210
00:28:57,160 --> 00:29:00,800
so alarm calls may be only a
small part of their vocabulary.

211
00:29:02,920 --> 00:29:06,685
If talking
is an ancient monkey ability,

212
00:29:06,720 --> 00:29:11,440
we should find something similar
in other monkeys around the world.

213
00:29:11,475 --> 00:29:14,485
In forests from Africa
to South America

214
00:29:14,520 --> 00:29:19,020
scientists have found monkeys
whose calls refer to predators.

215
00:29:19,055 --> 00:29:23,520
But do they ever use sounds for
things when they can't see them,

216
00:29:23,555 --> 00:29:26,120
when they are just
thinking about them?

217
00:29:30,440 --> 00:29:36,400
The white faced capuchins in Costa
Rica live by streams full of danger.

218
00:29:36,435 --> 00:29:39,317
They are nervous,
maybe imagining death

219
00:29:39,352 --> 00:29:42,165
lurking under
every log or pile of leaves.

220
00:29:42,200 --> 00:29:45,680
They too have put sounds
to some of their fears,

221
00:29:45,715 --> 00:29:49,160
and have different calls
for different predators.

222
00:29:51,600 --> 00:29:53,165
A call goes up, "Snake!"

223
00:29:53,200 --> 00:29:58,440
The whole troop leaps out of
the water and up into the trees.

224
00:30:01,160 --> 00:30:06,360
They soon calm down. Once noticed,
most predators are of little danger.

225
00:30:06,395 --> 00:30:10,525
The warning system is
built on trust and honesty.

226
00:30:10,560 --> 00:30:16,360
Yet, very occasionally, some monkeys
deliberately shout an alarm call

227
00:30:16,395 --> 00:30:18,717
when there is no snake there.

228
00:30:18,752 --> 00:30:21,005
The reason for this deception

229
00:30:21,040 --> 00:30:25,480
lies in the fact that monkey society
is very competitive.

230
00:30:25,515 --> 00:30:29,565
The leaders often take food
from subordinates.

231
00:30:29,600 --> 00:30:33,605
The problem for a low-status monkey
is not just finding food,

232
00:30:33,640 --> 00:30:37,920
it's hanging on to it, and sometimes
they have to be a little crafty.

233
00:30:40,920 --> 00:30:44,320
Suppose a subordinate is
acting a little strangely,

234
00:30:44,355 --> 00:30:46,240
watching the others closely.

235
00:30:50,280 --> 00:30:54,360
He then could, without any
obvious panic, call, "Snake,"

236
00:30:54,395 --> 00:30:56,400
and everybody leaps out of the water.

237
00:31:03,040 --> 00:31:05,245
While the others are
looking for snakes,

238
00:31:05,280 --> 00:31:08,360
he could sneak down and recover
a fallen bird's egg

239
00:31:08,395 --> 00:31:10,000
he could have been hiding.

240
00:31:19,760 --> 00:31:22,365
The leaders slowly return to
the pool.

241
00:31:22,400 --> 00:31:27,725
It seems that lying
may be as old as language itself.

242
00:31:27,760 --> 00:31:32,680
If our little manipulator is spotted
with his egg, he's in big trouble.

243
00:31:38,320 --> 00:31:43,800
This sort of deception
has been noticed in several species.

244
00:31:43,835 --> 00:31:47,120
It shows they imagine things
when they're not visible,

245
00:31:47,155 --> 00:31:50,600
and it implies they are beginning to
think about

246
00:31:50,635 --> 00:31:53,360
what each other
may be thinking about.

247
00:31:56,200 --> 00:32:01,160
Millions of years ago some monkeys
reached this point,

248
00:32:01,195 --> 00:32:05,640
and then took another huge leap
into the unknown.

249
00:32:05,675 --> 00:32:07,840
They left the forest.

250
00:32:23,760 --> 00:32:28,000
Open grassland
is a hard place in which to survive.

251
00:32:28,035 --> 00:32:30,525
Fruits and flowers are scarce.

252
00:32:30,560 --> 00:32:34,840
There's nowhere to escape,
and some very dangerous predators.

253
00:32:51,160 --> 00:32:55,280
Baboons have grown larger
than forest monkeys

254
00:32:55,315 --> 00:32:59,400
and 80 or so baboons
stick together for defence.

255
00:32:59,435 --> 00:33:01,800
They are wary and aggressive.

256
00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:11,120
The big males will often go
on the attack.

257
00:33:48,160 --> 00:33:50,045
The young are helpless.

258
00:33:50,080 --> 00:33:53,725
Most animals here run from birth.

259
00:33:53,760 --> 00:33:57,760
Gazelles and baboons feed together,
both watching for predators.

260
00:34:00,400 --> 00:34:05,680
The baboons make do with tough
plants, insects and grass mainly.

261
00:34:09,880 --> 00:34:12,765
The fawns assume the baboons
are allies,

262
00:34:12,800 --> 00:34:15,960
and don't realise
that monkeys also eat meat.

263
00:34:38,600 --> 00:34:41,245
When our ancestors left the trees,

264
00:34:41,280 --> 00:34:44,240
we changed too, and became more
predatory and dangerous

265
00:34:44,275 --> 00:34:46,817
than the apes and monkeys

266
00:34:46,852 --> 00:34:49,360
we left behind in the forest.

267
00:34:53,280 --> 00:34:58,485
There's more to learn in larger
and more volatile societies.

268
00:34:58,520 --> 00:35:04,440
All monkeys can be murderous,
but baboons seem closer to violence,

269
00:35:04,475 --> 00:35:08,677
as though anger and frustration
were just under the surface.

270
00:35:08,712 --> 00:35:12,616
The lower ranking males find
failing ambition very stressful,

271
00:35:12,651 --> 00:35:16,520
and become neurotic,
with high blood pressure and ulcers.

272
00:35:18,200 --> 00:35:23,280
High ranking males are dictatorial
bullies while their power lasts,

273
00:35:23,315 --> 00:35:27,160
but when deposed become ill
and have symptoms of depression.

274
00:35:31,280 --> 00:35:34,400
Baboon society shares
many of our problems.

275
00:35:34,435 --> 00:35:37,045
We're psychologically similar.

276
00:35:37,080 --> 00:35:39,885
Of course there are huge differences,

277
00:35:39,920 --> 00:35:45,120
but if you want to imagine your early
ancestor on a hunt, think baboon.

278
00:36:49,720 --> 00:36:55,040
A clever political mind is
essential in large groups.

279
00:36:55,075 --> 00:36:57,925
So the cleverest monkeys should
be found

280
00:36:57,960 --> 00:37:01,880
in the biggest troops,
equivalent to our towns or cities.

281
00:37:05,200 --> 00:37:11,240
In the Simien Mountains of Ethiopia
live huge herds of geladas.

282
00:37:14,080 --> 00:37:18,160
Speeded up, they move like an army.

283
00:37:41,560 --> 00:37:44,125
Groups of mothers and their young,

284
00:37:44,160 --> 00:37:49,160
a harem, gather together to
form troops of up to 800 monkeys.

285
00:37:51,440 --> 00:37:56,720
Geladas' hands are usually busy
plucking grass instead of grooming,

286
00:37:56,755 --> 00:38:02,000
so to keep in touch, geladas have
become the chattiest of all monkeys.

287
00:38:03,800 --> 00:38:07,205
The gossipy banter can sound to
scientists

288
00:38:07,240 --> 00:38:11,520
like sentences with words
or even names for each other.

289
00:38:11,555 --> 00:38:15,960
Most agree it's often used
to defuse tension.

290
00:38:20,160 --> 00:38:24,400
In geladas, there's a lot
to be tense about.

291
00:38:26,800 --> 00:38:29,045
There are gangs of young males

292
00:38:29,080 --> 00:38:33,160
trying to steal away the
women from the family harems.

293
00:38:34,720 --> 00:38:39,560
Each handful of females is guarded
by a single male, the harem master.

294
00:38:43,800 --> 00:38:46,845
The spare boys try and tempt
the girls away,

295
00:38:46,880 --> 00:38:50,520
hoping the resident
father figure doesn't notice.

296
00:38:55,040 --> 00:38:57,880
The males flash teeth at each other.

297
00:38:57,915 --> 00:38:59,085
They may fight,

298
00:38:59,120 --> 00:39:00,920
but it's usually just showing off,

299
00:39:00,955 --> 00:39:02,720
in case the girls are watching.

300
00:39:04,720 --> 00:39:07,320
There's a lot of
flirting on both sides.

301
00:39:08,880 --> 00:39:12,200
And then if an innocent looking
female is tempted to wander off

302
00:39:12,235 --> 00:39:16,080
past her guardian,
he has to decide what to do.

303
00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:21,280
Girls mostly sneak off
secretly for affairs.

304
00:39:21,315 --> 00:39:24,560
This is a blatant challenge
to his authority.

305
00:39:27,400 --> 00:39:29,845
The illicit couple just sit.

306
00:39:29,880 --> 00:39:34,520
The suitor seems to be using
his hand to hide his grimace.

307
00:39:34,555 --> 00:39:37,165
He probably doesn't want trouble.

308
00:39:37,200 --> 00:39:42,960
Chimps, baboons and macaques
may also try to look innocent
when they break the rules.

309
00:39:44,840 --> 00:39:47,565
This is a complicated social problem.

310
00:39:47,600 --> 00:39:54,240
Using your brain to control societies
is called Machiavellian Intelligence,

311
00:39:54,275 --> 00:39:56,405
after a sixteenth century
courtier

312
00:39:56,440 --> 00:39:59,160
who wrote on
manipulating political power.

313
00:39:59,195 --> 00:40:01,885
Instead of launching into an attack,

314
00:40:01,920 --> 00:40:05,125
the politician here tries
to grab a baby.

315
00:40:05,160 --> 00:40:10,000
Monkey etiquette dictates nobody
attacks anyone holding a baby,

316
00:40:10,035 --> 00:40:12,765
so they are like living flak jackets.

317
00:40:12,800 --> 00:40:16,080
The mothers are worried,
and quickly scoop up the youngest.

318
00:40:18,120 --> 00:40:21,685
Here, the two males face each other.

319
00:40:21,720 --> 00:40:25,320
The family man backs towards
one of his more loyal wives,

320
00:40:25,355 --> 00:40:26,720
calling for support.

321
00:40:28,840 --> 00:40:33,720
One of the youngsters suddenly
switches from mother to father.

322
00:40:33,755 --> 00:40:35,717
This should calm things down.

323
00:40:35,752 --> 00:40:37,645
With the youngster attached,

324
00:40:37,680 --> 00:40:40,840
the father is protected,
and the harem should unite.

325
00:40:44,200 --> 00:40:46,400
But it can go wrong.

326
00:40:59,240 --> 00:41:02,880
The youngster is slipping off.
The family are frantic.

327
00:41:06,160 --> 00:41:09,840
The harem master has no
protection from attack.

328
00:41:17,440 --> 00:41:22,840
The bachelor is finally driven off,
with a little help from the mothers.

329
00:41:26,240 --> 00:41:29,240
But the fathers are meant
to guard the precious young.

330
00:41:29,275 --> 00:41:32,165
He knows he's in
all sorts of trouble.

331
00:41:32,200 --> 00:41:36,920
If the infant dies, the
mothers may not support him again.

332
00:41:44,000 --> 00:41:48,240
Our brain too, wrestles with
our own similar problems.

333
00:41:48,275 --> 00:41:51,520
We are as social and as competitive.

334
00:41:59,600 --> 00:42:03,880
Intelligence sweeps in through
monkey evolution,

335
00:42:03,915 --> 00:42:08,160
to apes and us,
and leaves a chilling legacy.

336
00:42:10,160 --> 00:42:14,120
Becoming clever
can mean being controlling,

337
00:42:14,155 --> 00:42:16,605
stressed, perhaps unhappy.

338
00:42:16,640 --> 00:42:20,620
The females are plotting,
worrying for their young.

339
00:42:20,655 --> 00:42:24,227
He worries about other
males stealing his girls.

340
00:42:24,262 --> 00:42:27,800
All of them are thinking
about whom they can trust.

341
00:42:30,960 --> 00:42:35,080
Is this the pinnacle
of monkey brainpower?

342
00:42:35,115 --> 00:42:37,045
Monkeys also set us on a path

343
00:42:37,080 --> 00:42:41,880
towards co-operation,
planning, tool-making and technology.

344
00:42:41,915 --> 00:42:45,800
The cleverest monkey perhaps
took that path too.

345
00:43:02,040 --> 00:43:05,200
Stone slabs have been found
in the forests of Brazil

346
00:43:05,235 --> 00:43:08,045
that have been worn into hollows,

347
00:43:08,080 --> 00:43:13,040
apparently by prehistoric people,
using stone hammers.

348
00:43:20,600 --> 00:43:24,320
It turns out
they were not made by humans at all.

349
00:43:26,880 --> 00:43:30,000
A bearded capuchin monkey starts the
processing of palm nuts

350
00:43:30,035 --> 00:43:33,160
by tapping them
to see if they are ripe.

351
00:43:41,520 --> 00:43:47,560
There are only 20 or 30 monkeys in a
group, with fewer social pressures.

352
00:43:47,595 --> 00:43:51,765
They are thinkers and doers,
not chatterers.

353
00:43:51,800 --> 00:43:57,600
The ripest palm nuts are stripped of
their outer case ready to be dropped

354
00:43:57,635 --> 00:44:02,080
on to the ground to dry out,
which will take about three days.

355
00:44:02,115 --> 00:44:06,565
Each stage seems very well
co-ordinated,

356
00:44:06,600 --> 00:44:11,680
a routine in a monkey
culture, choreographed to perfection.

357
00:44:11,715 --> 00:44:16,560
Tapping again tells the monkeys
which ones are ready.

358
00:44:44,480 --> 00:44:46,700
The next stage may take place

359
00:44:46,735 --> 00:44:48,920
at the other end of the valley,

360
00:44:48,955 --> 00:44:51,765
the nut-cracking site.

361
00:44:51,800 --> 00:44:53,860
The hammers are of a harder stone,

362
00:44:53,895 --> 00:44:55,920
brought up from the river beds

363
00:44:55,955 --> 00:44:57,205
by the monkeys.

364
00:44:57,240 --> 00:45:00,360
They are heavy - some as heavy as the
monkey itself.

365
00:45:03,080 --> 00:45:04,960
Palm nuts are extremely hard

366
00:45:04,995 --> 00:45:06,805
and difficult to crack open.

367
00:45:06,840 --> 00:45:10,600
It only works if you
get it exactly right.

368
00:45:18,280 --> 00:45:20,700
Somehow these clever monkeys

369
00:45:20,735 --> 00:45:23,120
get amazingly good at it.

370
00:45:56,640 --> 00:46:00,520
Collecting a ripe nut has taken
days of harvesting,

371
00:46:00,555 --> 00:46:03,317
testing, ripening, transportation,

372
00:46:03,352 --> 00:46:05,896
collecting tools and choosing sites,

373
00:46:05,931 --> 00:46:08,440
not forgetting years of learning

374
00:46:08,475 --> 00:46:10,480
in the nut-cracking school.

375
00:46:18,360 --> 00:46:22,360
The Year Two class is still
wrestling with the basics.

376
00:46:28,400 --> 00:46:30,640
The sounds echo through the forest.

377
00:46:34,920 --> 00:46:38,320
Jaguars know it's monkeys at work.

378
00:46:40,400 --> 00:46:43,520
The capuchins always select their
sites carefully,

379
00:46:43,555 --> 00:46:46,160
preferably below
the edge of the escarpment.

380
00:46:49,080 --> 00:46:52,840
But it's more than just
an escape route.

381
00:47:09,720 --> 00:47:12,005
We are increasingly realising

382
00:47:12,040 --> 00:47:15,680
we are not the only intelligent life
on the planet.

383
00:47:32,280 --> 00:47:37,520
40 million years ago, it seems, there
were creatures with hands and eyes

384
00:47:37,555 --> 00:47:40,165
who took great care of their babies

385
00:47:40,200 --> 00:47:42,640
because they took a
long time to grow up.

386
00:47:44,280 --> 00:47:50,320
The story has ended up with us,
seeing ourselves in their faces.

387
00:47:53,000 --> 00:47:55,645
We can be proud of the fact

388
00:47:55,680 --> 00:48:01,160
that what makes us human
isn't just human after all.

389
00:48:12,000 --> 00:48:14,805
Next week, Natural World reports on

390
00:48:14,840 --> 00:48:20,200
a mysterious die-off of India's
endangered gharial crocodiles.

391
00:48:20,235 --> 00:48:23,445
For the second time Rom Whittaker

392
00:48:23,480 --> 00:48:26,600
is battling to bring this ancient
species back from the brink.

393
00:48:37,240 --> 00:48:40,220
Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

394
00:48:40,255 --> 00:48:43,200
E- mail subtitling@bbc. co. uk