• Dr. Palombit is currently conducting a long-term comparative study of chacma baboons ( Papio hamadryas ursinus ) in Botswana and olive baboons ( Papio hamadryas anubis ) in central Kenya. (rutgers.edu)
  • P. ursinus (Chacma baboon) is found in southern Africa. (newworldencyclopedia.org)
  • P.h. hamadyas (sacred baboons), P. h. cynocephalus (yellow baboons), P. h. ursinus (Chacma baboons), P. h. papio (red baboons or Guinea baboons), and P. H. anubis (olive baboons). (newworldencyclopedia.org)
  • The Tsaobis baboon population is comprised of several troops of chacma baboons Papio ursinus. (yourdictionary.com)
  • This study will determine the home and daily ranges, and the feeding ecology of a troop of chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) found on Wildcliff Nature Reserve in the Western Cape of South Africa. (wildernesstrust.com)
  • Hamilton W J,Arrowood P C.1978.Copulatory vocalizations of chacma baboons ( Papio ursinus ),gibbons ( Hylobates lar ),and humans ( Homo sapiens ). (mammal.cn)
  • The olive baboon (Papio anubis), also called the Anubis baboon, is a member of the family Cercopithecidae Old World monkeys. (wikipedia.org)
  • Male olive baboon ( Papio hamadryas anubis ) "followers" incur time, but not energetic costs. (rutgers.edu)
  • We did see wildlife- some roadside Olive baboons (Papio anubus - named after the Egyptian god Anubis) who looked like furry gangsters, some beautiful white-tail and mane colobus monkeys (Colobus guereza) who seem to be well adapted to disturbed environments, and the real scary looking hyenas (Crocuta crocuta). (winrock.org)
  • P. anubis (olive baboon) is found in central African savanna, and P. cynocephalus (yellow baboon) is found in Angola , Zambia , Malawi , Tanzania , Kenya , and Somalia. (newworldencyclopedia.org)
  • Serum from one olive baboon (Papio anubis) was positive for ZIKV antibodies. (cdc.gov)
  • The anubis baboons , as shown by the frescoes, were tamed by the ancient Egyptians and trained to pluck sycamore-figs from the trees. (yourdictionary.com)
  • Bouquet Y,Stephan C,Johnson C A,Rothman J M,Neumann C,Zuberbühler K.2018.Comparing functions of copulation calls in wild olive baboons, Papio anubis ,using multimodel inference. (mammal.cn)
  • A family of olive baboons (Papio anubis) sitting on the ground in Akagera, which is also home to Africa's Big 5 game animals. (go-eat-do.com)
  • only the chacma baboon and the mandrill attain similar sizes. (wikipedia.org)
  • To meet our objectives, we will collect a range of behavioral, spatial, and ecological survey data from two troops of wild chacma baboon. (wennergren.org)
  • The Chacma Baboon is a large primate with a dog-like face and large, prominent canines. (krugerpark.co.za)
  • Chacma Baboon inhabits woodlands, semi-deserts, and sub-alpine meadows along the Drakensberg. (krugerpark.co.za)
  • The Chacma baboon is replaced in the north by its close relative, the yellow baboon. (krugerpark.co.za)
  • Chacma Baboon are Widely distributed throughout Southern Africa and in countries beyond. (krugerpark.co.za)
  • The Chacma baboon can be 120 cm (47 inches) and weigh 40 kg (90 lb), while the biggest Guinea baboon is 50 cm (20 inches) and weighs only 14 kg (30 lb). (newworldencyclopedia.org)
  • Dunbar [1988], for example, suggested that the use of arid areas with low food densities might be responsible for the hamadryas baboon's unique social system, while the chacma baboon is also called the 'mountain' baboon for its use of the Drakensberg mountains [Henzi and Barrett, 2003]. (karger.com)
  • 2013] for the chacma baboon, for instance, suggested this species actually prefers cool, low-altitude habitats with moderate rainfall and may only use the marginal Drakensberg environments as a result of interactions with humans, and the study by Zinner et al. (karger.com)
  • Absolutely magnificent female African Chacma Baboon taxidermy mount. (safariworkstaxidermysales.com)
  • The chacma baboon, also known as the Cape baboon, is, like all other baboons, from the Old World monkey family. (safariworkstaxidermysales.com)
  • The olive baboon is named for its coat, which, at a distance, is a shade of green-grey. (wikipedia.org)
  • Like other baboons, the olive baboon has an elongated, dog-like muzzle. (wikipedia.org)
  • The bare patch of a baboon's rump is smaller in the olive baboon than in the Hamadryas baboon or Guinea baboon. (wikipedia.org)
  • The olive baboon, like most cercopithecines, has a cheek pouch with which to store food. (wikipedia.org)
  • For example, considerable hybridisation has occurred between the olive baboon and the hamadryas baboon in Ethiopia. (wikipedia.org)
  • Throughout its wide range, the olive baboon can be found in a number of different habitats. (wikipedia.org)
  • Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for instance, both support olive baboon populations in dense tropical forests. (wikipedia.org)
  • The olive baboon lives in groups of 15 to 150, made up of a few males, many females, and their young. (wikipedia.org)
  • Among olive baboons in Tanzania, high-ranking females give birth at shorter intervals to infants with a higher survival rate, and their daughters tend to mature faster than low-ranking females. (wikipedia.org)
  • chacma baboons in Okavango Delta, Botswana and olive baboons in Laikipia, Kenya. (rutgers.edu)
  • Currently, he directs "Project Papio, a study "friendships" in chacma baboons in Okavango Delta, Botswana and in olive baboons at his field site in Laikipia, Kenya. (rutgers.edu)
  • In East African olive baboons, however, male infanticide occurs rarely, and yet heterosexual friendships develop just as reliably. (rutgers.edu)
  • However, while behaviorally and physically distinct from other baboon types, the Hamadryas baboon is known to hybridize with olive baboons, and recent phylogenetic studies of Papio show Hamadryas baboons to be more closely related to Guinea and olive baboons than to Chacmas (Newman et al. (newworldencyclopedia.org)
  • 2001] of hamadryas habitats in Eritrea found that this taxon does indeed use more arid environments than neighbouring olive baboons, but also occupies moist coastal lowlands and makes use of a wide range of vegetation types. (karger.com)
  • Results: The 212 serum samples were collected in 7 counties from 87 (41.0%) Olive baboons, 69 (32.5%) Vervet monkeys, and 49 (23.1%) Sykes monkeys. (cdc.gov)
  • All baboons have long dog-like muzzles (cynocephalus = dog-head), close-set eyes, heavy powerful jaws, thick fur except on their muzzle, a short tail, and rough spots on their rear-ends, called ischial callosities. (newworldencyclopedia.org)
  • Many authors distinguish P. hamadryas as a full species, but regard all the others as subspecies of P. cynocephalus and refer to them collectively as "savanna baboons. (newworldencyclopedia.org)
  • Baboons (Cynocephalus porcarius) and monkeys of different kinds frequent the mountains and rocky kloofs and bush and timber lands. (yourdictionary.com)
  • Focused on the savannah baboon, Papio cynocephalus, ABRP is located in the Amboseli ecosystem of East Africa, north of Mt. Kilimanjaro. (asu.edu)
  • Cross-breeding with the yellow baboon and the Guinea baboon has also been observed. (wikipedia.org)
  • The ASP endorses social housing as the foundation of welfare for captive nonhuman primates who are members of species that live socially in the wild. (asp.org)
  • Notes from the field: Q fever outbreak infect wild nonhuman primates. (cdc.gov)
  • In the informal division of primates into the three groups of prosimians, monkeys of the New World, and monkeys and apes of the Old World, the baboons are considered Old World monkeys . (newworldencyclopedia.org)
  • Arnold, 2009], and the Papio baboons as a whole are amongst the most successful African primates [Barrett and Henzi, 2008]. (karger.com)
  • This data has implications for the management of baboons, both captive and wild and for the field of primatology (study of primates in general). (wildernesstrust.com)
  • The role of multiple sexual signals in indicating the timing of female ovulation, and discrimination of this timing by males, has been particularly well studied among primates. (plos.org)
  • The Amboseli Baboon Project is one of the longest-running studies of wild primates in the world. (asu.edu)
  • For the bushmeat animals, blood was collected by cardiac hensive survey of wild-caught primates in Cameroon, home to puncture, and lymph node and spleen tissues were collected whenever possible. (cdc.gov)
  • We used video camera traps and soil analysis to investigate geophagy in chacma baboons inhabiting the Western cape of South Africa. (wildernesstrust.com)
  • The species is the most wide-ranging of all baboons, being native to 25 countries throughout Africa, extending from Mali eastward to Ethiopia and Tanzania. (wikipedia.org)
  • Treponema pallidum that cause the [email protected] ing baboons in West and East Africa non-sexually transmitted diseases closely resemble T. pallidum subsp. (cdc.gov)
  • Baboons are terrestrial (ground dwelling) and are found in savanna, open woodland, and hills across Africa . (newworldencyclopedia.org)
  • P. hamadryas (Hamadryas baboon) is found in northeast Africa and into southwestern Arabia. (newworldencyclopedia.org)
  • and it will suffice to mention here that while chimpanzees and baboons are now restricted to Africa and (in the case of the latter group) Arabia, they formerly occurred in India. (yourdictionary.com)
  • Baboons and mandrills, with few exceptions, are peculiar to Africa. (yourdictionary.com)
  • Despite baboons' widespread distribution across Africa, geophagy among all species has been poorly documented. (wildernesstrust.com)
  • The exact boundaries of this strip are not clearly defined, as the species' territory overlaps with that of other baboon species. (wikipedia.org)
  • Responses of four ungulate species to experimental playback of baboon loud calls. (upenn.edu)
  • captive housing composition should be guided by the species' typical social structure found in the wild. (asp.org)
  • However, previously the closely related gelada (genus Theropithecus ) and two species of mandrill and drill (genus Mandrillus ) were grouped in the same genus, and these monkeys are still often referred to as baboons in everyday speech. (newworldencyclopedia.org)
  • Males of the Hamadryas baboon species also have a large white mane. (newworldencyclopedia.org)
  • In all baboon species, there is pronounced sexual dimorphism, usually in size, but also sometimes in color or canine development. (newworldencyclopedia.org)
  • Some consider baboons to be a single species, which is designated Papio hamadryas (Comuzzie et al. (newworldencyclopedia.org)
  • There have, however, been few systematic comparisons of the environments occupied by the 6 major Papio species, and how differences in range conditions and variability might affect their evolutionary ecology remains unknown. (karger.com)
  • In fact, the differences between the environments occupied by adjacent troops in well-known national parks may be as large or larger than the average differences in the ranges of different species, and this may have important implications for baboon biogeography. (karger.com)
  • The savannah baboons (genus Papio ) form a cluster of 6 closely related allotaxa, classified either as separate species (e.g. (karger.com)
  • Existing synthetic studies of individual baboon species' ranges and ecological niches, however, point to a complex relationship with the environment. (karger.com)
  • Baboons and other apes are fairly common and there are several species of snakes. (yourdictionary.com)
  • The park is home to many interesting species of desert plants while local animals include baboons , vervet monkeys, rhino and antelope. (yourdictionary.com)
  • These baboons appear to belong to the Nubian species, but they cannot be considered indigenous to any part of Tunisia. (yourdictionary.com)
  • Geophagy, one of the oldest known forms of self-medicative behaviour, has been observed in 20% of all primate species, but to date is essentially undocumented in baboons. (wildernesstrust.com)
  • For wild animals, if we look at the average length of life, we would find that some species - particularly those who produce many young during their lives such as opossums - have a very short average life span. (earthlife.net)
  • When you throw in traditional leopards, Asian wild dog, wild Asian elephant, sloth bear and countless bird species, it really is a wildlife-lover's paradise. (bretcharmanphotography.com)
  • I am studying variation within and between both populations of baboons, collecting genetic, experimental, and observational data that will clarify the causal and functional bases of sexually selected infanticide and heterosexual bonds in a multi-male social setting. (rutgers.edu)
  • Understanding the sources of variation among baboon populations can thus provide useful insights into the adaptations, evolutionary divergence, and diversity observed in the hominin lineage. (wennergren.org)
  • The grasslands, especially those near open woodland, do make up a large part of its habitat, but the baboon also inhabits rainforests and deserts. (wikipedia.org)
  • The gelada inhabits the mountains of Abyssinia, where, like other baboons , it descends in droves to pillage cultivated lands. (yourdictionary.com)
  • Testosterone (T) is often positively associated with male sexual behavior and negatively associated with paternal care. (ac.ke)
  • These techniques keeps proved instance valuable inside the studies of the behavior, ecology and you may advancement of large-bodied totally free-starting mammals, and this in lieu of smaller mammals, wild birds, reptiles, and other groups, you should never be easily caught up and you can tested in the field having basic and you may moral causes. (tune.co.ug)
  • Because troops are inclined to raid commercial crops, baboons are not popular with maize and fruit farmers. (krugerpark.co.za)
  • The reserve is home to two troops of chacma baboons, one comprising less than ten members and the other with approximately 100. (wildernesstrust.com)
  • He has studied monogamous pair bonds in wild white-handed gibbons (Hylobates lar) and siamang (H.syndactylus) in northern Sumatra, Indonesia, and conducted short-term research on titi monkeys (Callicebus moloch) and red-bearded saki monkeys (Pithecia aequatorialis) in the upper Amazon of Ecuador. (rutgers.edu)
  • These calluses are nerveless, hairless pads of skin which provide for the sitting comfort of the baboon (and other Old World monkeys ). (newworldencyclopedia.org)
  • Australia has no apes, monkeys or baboons , and no ruminant beasts. (yourdictionary.com)
  • Together with man and the baboons , the anthropoid apes form the group known to science as Catarhini, those, that is, possessing a narrow nasal septum, and are thus easily distinguishable from the flat-nosed monkeys or Platyrhini. (yourdictionary.com)
  • Baboons are for the most part large terrestrial monkeys with short or medium-sized tails, and long naked dog-like muzzles, in the truncated extremity of which are pierced the nostrils. (yourdictionary.com)
  • These data document for the first time that a substantial proportion of wild monkeys in Cameroon are SIV infected and that humans who hunt and handle bushmeat are exposed to a plethora of genetically highly divergent viruses. (cdc.gov)
  • In the Cape Peninsula, their southern-most range, the Baboons clash with humans by raiding houses and storerooms, a situation that has led to much debate and many accusations - with no solution in sight. (krugerpark.co.za)
  • There are a number of genetic and physiological similarities between baboons and humans , including organ sizes, presence of menopause, and structures of major tissues . (newworldencyclopedia.org)
  • Like humans, baboons respond to stress through the release of stress hormones , and these two groups have about 91 percent genetic similarity. (newworldencyclopedia.org)
  • Nonetheless, the gulf between humans and baboons is immense, as people exhibit complex languages , complex technologies , and complex social behaviors ( religions , politics, etc.), among numerous other differences. (newworldencyclopedia.org)
  • Their principal predators are humans and the leopard , although they are tough prey for a leopard, and large males will often confront them. (newworldencyclopedia.org)
  • Chimpanzees are extensively studied in the wild and in captivity and have been found to be closer to humans than any other creature as they share over 98% of our DNA. (wildlife-animals.com)
  • males are, on average, 70 cm (28 in) tall while standing and females measure 60 cm (24 in) in height. (wikipedia.org)
  • At the shoulder on all fours, females average 55 cm (22 in) against males, which average 70 cm (28 in). (wikipedia.org)
  • The typical weight range for both sexes is reportedly 10-37 kg (22-82 lb), with males averaging 24 kg (53 lb) and females averaging 14.7 kg (32 lb). (wikipedia.org)
  • A recent study shows top-ranking females are at risk from male harassment. (wikipedia.org)
  • Males who have recently immigrated harass females in order to induce miscarriages in females they had not yet mated with, in order to impregnate them with an offspring that is his own faster. (wikipedia.org)
  • As females with living infants often have male allies protecting their infants, it makes more sense for a male to ignore infants and channel his aggression to the group's resident pregnant females who do not currently have infants instead. (wikipedia.org)
  • His current interests focus on a feature of primate biology that largely differentiates these animals from most other mammals: cohesive social bonds between adult males and females persisting beyond estrus. (rutgers.edu)
  • Of particular interest are the affiliative bonds between males and lactating females, known as "friendships. (rutgers.edu)
  • This difference is just one of numerous social features distinguishing chacma baboons from their East African cousins (e.g., lack of male-male coalitions, apparently greater sexual monopolization of estrus females by high-ranking males, enhanced territoriality). (rutgers.edu)
  • Mammalian males compete for a non-sharable resource (receptive females) and are typically the dispersing sex, thus cooperation between males may appear counterintuitive. (uni-goettingen.de)
  • Davidian E, Surbeck M, Lukas D, Kappeler PM , Huchard E (2022) The eco-evolutionary landscape of power relationships between males and females. (dpz.eu)
  • Two wild male baboons joined these females approximately six weeks post release, and remained with them. (yourdictionary.com)
  • Our results suggest that Japanese macaque females display sexual cues of pregnancy that males might use to reduce energy wasted on non-reproductive copulations with pregnant females. (plos.org)
  • We hypothesize that females advertize their pregnancy through changes in behavioral, visual and potential auditory signals that males can use to adjust their mating behaviors. (plos.org)
  • Primate males usually concentrate their reproductive efforts towards females during the period of highest conception probability, i.e. the peri-ovulatory or fertile phase of the menstrual cycle [ 1 - 5 ]. (plos.org)
  • Females average around 11 kg (24.3 lb) while males weigh 18.5 kg (40.8 lb) (data compiled by Jolly 2007). (wisc.edu)
  • Testosterone related to age and life-history stages in male baboons and geladas. (upenn.edu)
  • Social correlates of androgens and dispersal age in juvenile male geladas. (dpz.eu)
  • Chacma baboons are preyed upon by Leopard and Cheetah. (krugerpark.co.za)
  • We had an exceptional week with Bwalya, although the leopard didn't quite play ball, and were treated to some excellent encounters with the African wild dogs and countless lions. (bretcharmanphotography.com)
  • The second week was based at the delightful Mfuwe Lodge and we had some exquisite sightings of leopard and the wild dogs once more. (bretcharmanphotography.com)
  • The Emmen baboons had similar scares in 1994, 1997 and 2007 and some would have experienced the previous hysteria, as hamadryas baboons can reach the age of 30, Mr Landman said. (blogspot.com)
  • Kunz and Linsenmair, 2008], although there is also evidence for some overarching patterning in baboon-environment relationships at the genus scale. (karger.com)
  • Transition to siblinghood causes substantial and long-lasting physiological stress reactions in wild bonobos. (dpz.eu)
  • Although preyed upon by Leopards, Baboons are known to hold their own against these predators and have been recorded tearing Leopards apart with their strong canines. (krugerpark.co.za)
  • All I can really say is that you need to book on to a Wildlife Worldwide's Nagarhole's Tigers, Wild Dogs & Leopards trip for 2020. (bretcharmanphotography.com)
  • He uses the comparative approach and field experiments to understand the behavioral and ecological bases of variation in male-female social relationships. (rutgers.edu)
  • Variation in personality and fitness in wild female baboons. (upenn.edu)
  • We analyzed variation in the probability of detecting male and female socio-sexual behaviors and estrus calls, as well as changes in female face color parameters, in relation to female reproductive state. (plos.org)
  • Some consider the word baboon to have been derived from the name of the Egyptian baboon-god Babi. (newworldencyclopedia.org)
  • Last year the wildlife sanctuary rescued nine baboons , who also came from Northern Ireland. (yourdictionary.com)
  • t was the half-way point on Wildlife Worldwide's inaugural Mana Pools: Wild Dogs & Elephants Photography tour , but today would prove to be a little different. (bretcharmanphotography.com)
  • Musth, a condition exhibited periodically by adult male elephants 43 , is associated with increased aggressive behaviour 11,41,43 and creates serious problems in the management of captive and free-ranging elephant bulls. (scielo.org.za)
  • We propose to study the behavioral response of chacma baboons to a novel ecology that mimics aspects of the selective environment thought to have produced the multilevel societies of hamadryas and early Homo. (wennergren.org)
  • Document baboon behaviour (spatial and feeding ecology). (wildernesstrust.com)
  • The aim is to understand the evolution of male infanticide and female counter-strategies to infanticide. (rutgers.edu)
  • Social bonds in female baboons: The interaction between personality, kinship, and rank. (upenn.edu)
  • Evidence for intrasexual selection in wild female baboons. (upenn.edu)
  • Stability of partner choice among female baboons. (upenn.edu)
  • Female chacma baboons form strong, equitable, and enduring social bonds. (upenn.edu)
  • Strong and consistent social bonds enhance the longevity of female baboons. (upenn.edu)
  • Contingent cooperation in wild female baboons. (upenn.edu)
  • Male and female chacma baboons form friendships based on likelihood of paternity. (upenn.edu)
  • The varying influence of older siblings in rank acquisition by female baboons. (upenn.edu)
  • The benefits of social capital: Close social bonds among female baboons enhance offspring survival. (upenn.edu)
  • A mature male measures 1.5 m from head to tail and weighs up to 33 kg, whereas the more slender female measures 1.1 m and has a mass of about 15 kg. (krugerpark.co.za)
  • Behringer V . Average phenotype but not plasticity in two metabolic hormones co-vary in wild female bonobos ( Pan paniscus ). (dpz.eu)
  • as well as the practical requirement for primate female and male intimate signals [elizabeth.grams. (tune.co.ug)
  • Hence, among female baboons at Tsaobis, it is no surprise that vigilance primarily serves to reduce the risk of predation. (yourdictionary.com)
  • An adult female baboon will be trapped, sedated and collared with a self-releasing collar. (wildernesstrust.com)
  • Here we aimed to determine if Japanese macaque males use changes in female sexual signals (behavioral, visual and auditory) to discriminate pregnancy and adjust their socio-sexual behaviors. (plos.org)
  • Based on our focal observations, we found that males did not copulate during the pregnancy period, and that female socio-sexual behaviors generally decreased from the pre-conceptive to post-conceptive periods. (plos.org)
  • We finish by discussing implications for male and female post-conception strategies. (plos.org)
  • An example of this is the reconstruction of Theropithecus oswaldi as a digitigrade baboon without specific study of the hand or wrist bones. (iresearchnet.com)
  • Baboons in captivity have been known to live up to 45 years, while in the wild their life expectancy is about 30 years. (newworldencyclopedia.org)
  • Baboons are found in the mountains and forests, otters in the rivers. (yourdictionary.com)
  • This coloration is shared by both sexes, although males have a mane of longer hair that tapers down to ordinary length along the back. (wikipedia.org)
  • Table Mountain is really good to climb and there's Cape Point where you can be certain to see wild baboons and ostriches. (yourdictionary.com)
  • Assessing reproductive status in wild felids by noninvasive faecal steroid monitoring. (lipi.go.id)
  • Hannig C. Dental findings in wild great apes from mascerated skull analysis. (dpz.eu)
  • However, this risk cannot be assessed since the prevalence, involved in the trade were asked for permission to sample diversity, and geographic distribution of SIV infections in wild blood and tissues from carcasses, which were then returned. (cdc.gov)
  • Specifically, we ask whether high predation pressure combined with limited sleeping site availability (i) represents the conditions required for the emergence of high-level social linkages, (ii) promotes coordinated inter-troop movements, and, (iii) drives a shift in internal socio-spatial dynamics linked to males. (wennergren.org)
  • Li Z P,Li J H,Xia D P,Zhu Y,Wang X,Zhang D.2015.Mating strategies of subordinate males in Tibetan macaques ( Macaca thibetana ) at Mt.Huangshan,China. (mammal.cn)
  • Does Optimal Foraging Theory Explain the Foraging Strategies of Wild Bornean Orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) Living in a Peat-Swamp Habitat? (rutgers.edu)
  • Male baboon responses to experimental manipulations of loud 'wahoo calls': testing an honest signal of fighting ability. (upenn.edu)
  • The baboons' ecological flexibility and biogeographic spread makes them interesting in their own right, as well as a potential source of analogies for understanding early hominins [Jolly, 2001]. (karger.com)
  • The comparative genomics and complex population history of Papio baboons. (upf.edu)
  • Ethiopia claims to have on the order of 5.15 million colonies wild and "managed," and over one million households have bees. (winrock.org)
  • The Papio baboons are acknowledged as excellent models for understanding the evolutionary processes acting during hominin evolution. (wennergren.org)
  • Each baboon has a social ranking somewhere in the group, depending on its dominance. (wikipedia.org)
  • His data suggest that this social relationship functions as a deterrent to sexually selected infanticide in chacma baboons, which accounts for at least 37% of infant mortality. (rutgers.edu)
  • This question was addressed by a recent study on how porn consumption affects the male brain. (blogspot.com)
  • Because of such traits, baboons have been used to study obesity, heart disease , epilepsy, and other human diseases . (newworldencyclopedia.org)