#MatchMaking: Talib edition

Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Make Me a Match!

Welcome to another edition of chimp matching 🐵

One of the goals at Chimp&See is to take videos that have been found containing chimpanzees and identify individual animals.  To do this, we compare videos and attempt to “match” animals that have identical physical features.  Anyone is allowed to propose a match, but multiple people must be in agreement before a potential match is confirmed by a site scientist.

This week’s featured potential match is from Restless Star.  Here we have an identified chimp named Talib:

And then we have two other individuals.  These two appear to be a match to each other (hence the temporary IDs of RSMale09 and RSMale09b), although it has not been confirmed:

Side-by-side courtesy of @NuriaM

Compare the above images. Consider things like overall body size and shape, head shape and facial features, as well as balding patterns, scars and deformities (if any exist).  So, what do you think? Is GSMale09 a match to Talib?  What about GSMale09b? Is it the same individual in each image?  Why do you think so?  What characteristics make you think they do or do not match?

Bring your comments over to the discussion at Chimp&See Talk.  There are more images and videos available on Talk for those wanting a better look.  You can also comment below.  The more feedback received, the more confident we can be in our determination, match or no match, so come tell us what you think!

#MatchMaking: Male at Aged Volet

This week we like to get your opinion about a handsome male. And it's easy as a-b-c - literally!

He is a fully grown-up adult with mostly black hair. His eyebrows are rather straigt, the mask around the eyes is black and the muzzle slightly brighter. The ears stick out a little. There might be some baldness on his forehead but we don't know exactly the shape and size of it due to the lighting conditions.

Have a closer look at him in the videos on Chimp & See: clip 1   clip2

In our discussion on talk we already ruled out the proposed match to Caruso. Now we have two possibilities left. The first one is Magnus and the second one is Baron. On purpose we don't give either of their descriptions here to not bias you. We'd like you to come up with your own opinion. The next two collages show the two males:

Here's our question: Do you think the male above is 

a) Magnus
b) Baron, or
c) none of the two

Have you decided yet? Then please head over to the ongoing discussion on talk and tell us what you think. You can also just leave the respective letter a, b or c, if you prefer. We very much appreciate your participation!

Thank you and see you at Chimp & See where the brandnew site "Green Snowflake" is up and running!

Birds of a feather

If you’ve been browsing the discussion boards on Chimp&See Talk, you may have noticed there is a new species guide: Identifying Birds.  The guide is meant to serve as a starting point for those wanting to improve their ID skills for the birds we see at C&S.  I know I certainly got more acquainted with the birds we have seen while writing the guide and I feel more confident identifying species now. I hope the guide helps others to do the same!

Screenshot of a portion of the bird guide

The guide can be found in The Objects section of the Help board or simply click on the link above.

The guide groups species by broad, shared characteristics that should be discernible even to those inexperienced with bird ID (poultry-like birds, predatory birds, etc.).  There is also a list of species we most often encounter at the top of the guide, so check those descriptions first if you are uncertain where to begin.  Each species has a short physical description as well as images and links to videos from C&S to aid in identification.

Thank you to all the moderators who provided help and feedback for the guide and to everyone for their continuing efforts with the C&S project!

Fly high and happy tagging!

#MatchMaking: Dry Lake juveniles

This new post in our chimp matching series introduces a current proposal at Chimp & See, and asks you to help us decide if they match or not.  This week, we're looking at some of the juveniles from the Dry Lake 11 site.

First, we have a young chimp known as DL11Juv15 (for the Dry Lake 11 site, the 15th juvenile found):

We believe this is a male chimp, and our volunteers have described him as a large juvenile with a long, overall dark face.  We also see round ears that stick out on the side, and thin brows with a tiny bald spot at the hairline between them.  We also see a bald patch in the hair on his left arm near the elbow, and on the left shoulder.

Here are the full video clips of this chimp: Clip 1, Clip 2, Clip 3


Now, here is another young chimp from Dry Lake (the one on the left):

He or she is similar in size to our DL11Juv15.  Our volunteers describe him or her as having even face coloration, ears that stick out, a tiny bald spot in the middle of the brows, and a bald spot on the right shoulder.

Here are the full video clips of this chimp (it's the one that looks at the camera and then walks toward it): Clip 1, Clip 2


Finally, we have this juvenile from Dry Lake (the one on the left):

We don't see much, but our volunteers see a similar body size as the other two juveniles.  S/he also appears to have bald spots on both shoulders, as well as a hairless right wrist.  The only missing feature seems to be the bald spot above the brow.

Here is the full video clip of this chimp (again, the one who begins on the left and leaves around :04 seconds): Clip

What do you think?

Are these chimps matches to each other?  Please share your thoughts in the comments below, or join our ongoing discussion over at Chimp & See.

#MatchMaking: An adult female with an infant

This new posting in our chimpmatching series introduces a currently discussed match proposal at Chimp&See and invites you to review and get involved.

First up are two slightly overexposed videos of an adult female with an infant. We think, she might be Sita and her offspring Nini from the Cool Silence site. The colored footage is from the "known" chimp Sita.

Like Sita, this female is very bald, has a barrel-like upper body and skinny legs. The eye brows are arched, but not prominently protruded. The nostrils have a hawkish appearance that is reversed by a very rounded muzzle. Her rectangular face is irregularly colored with pinkish pigments around the eyes and at the upper part of the muzzle. These coloration differences can also be seen in the black-and-white footage.

proposed match sequence 1 here and here

proposed match sequence 2 here and here

all known videos from Sita can be found here

Most notable are the irregular formed ears. They both stick out quite a bit. The left one is probably just a bit strangely grown; the right ear is seriously deformed (maybe even cut).

The roundish swelling is not much protruded.

What do you think? Could this be the same female?

Please keep in mind that these are camera trap videos from an unknown (unhabituated) chimpanzee population, so we don’t have the ultimate answer whether this is a match or not either! 

If this posting got you interested in our matching discussions, please come over to the discussion forum and get involved.  

We are very much interested in your opinion!