365 Days of Knowledge #26 and 27

Two weekends ago I went to visit a friend of mine who lives about an hour away from me. My friend has two little girls, a 3 year old and a 4 month old. When I arrived at my friend's home, her 3 year old daughter (let's call her Bean) was very excited to see me and kept saying my name over and over. I was already impressed at this point because I know grown adults who experience difficulty pronouncing my name correctly and I've known them for years. After about a half hour of chatting with my friend, her 4 month old began crying so I played with Bean while she tended to her wee one.

Now when it comes to playing, having fun, and toys in general, I'm pretty well versed. However, I was not familiar with the Littlest Pet Shop, which is just the toy that Bean whipped out. I soon found it needed no explanation, it's just a bunch of miniature plastic animals that are apparently very popular among wee ones. So Bean whips out this plastic tree house thing about the size of the average woman's shoe box. Inside the tree are four miniature animals, a pink poodle, a white cat, a foxy looking skunk, and a brown chimp. I immeditely said I wanted the skunk and the monkey but some how wound up with the poodle and the cat, which I wasn't too upset about because the poodle had a skateboard accessory....score!

So, here we are, playing this game, making up one outrageous plot after the next when I pick up the chimp and randomly say to Bean, "When it's time for chimps to go to bed at night they make a nest up in the trees and sleep there." Without hesitation Bean asks why. I reply (not ever having formally learned this but just assuming) "To keep away from other animals that might try to hurt or eat them when they're sleeping." Of course Bean asks what animals try to hurt and eat the chimps so I say lions, tigers, and hyenas, all the while praying that I'm not steering this young mind wrong. After I give her this (cross your fingers) hopefully accurate list of predators, she peers down at the chimp with this "look" on her face. I can translate non verbal communication well but I didn't have enough experience with 3 year olds to predict what would come next. I hypothesized that Bean would either:

a) burst into tears at the thought of her little monkey being savagely devoured
b) have no idea what I was talking about and continue where we left off in the world of the Littlest Pet Shop
or
c) privately ask her mom when I would be leaving, seeing as how I am a complete weird-o and all

Evidently, the "look" was one of contemplation because Bean then looked up at me and asked (I shit you not)....."What about the hawks?" The only response I was able to muster was a quite and amazed, "Wow....you're smart." I didn't really have an answer, I know there are hawks in Africa and I remembered reading about them capturing baby chimps but I don't know if they're a real threat to adult chimps and I wasn't about to tell that little face that hawks only eat babies. So I played it safe and said, "Yeah, they do have to be careful of the hawks but they're less of a threat." Then I fumbled over explaining what a threat was. I was blown away.

Bean isn't only smart, she's pretty creative too. My friend informed me that Bean has an imaginary friend named Gabriella who just showed up one day. I asked Bean where Gabriella was and she informed me that Gabriella wasn't with us because Gabriella was mad at Bean. I asked Bean why Gabriella was mad at her and she said, in a very confused and concerned voice, "She says I hit her, but I didn't." I laughed hysterically. I later came to find out that Gabriella lives in Chicago and is often home sick so Bean doesn't get to see her much. I wonder if this is a typical tactic children use to phase out their imaginary friends when they're no longer needed. Dr. Spock?

Anyway, back to the two things I learned. I wanted to share this story so I'll give you two chimpanzee (my favorite animal by the way) facts that I found.

1. I knew chimpanzees were extremely smart but I did not know that scientists have actually observed chimps eat feeding on medicinal plants when they're feeling ill or are injured.

I couldn't find another interesting fact about chimpanzees that I didn't know (I'm seriously not a braggart, they are my favorite animal and I honestly know a lot about them) so I'll share a fact about Jane Goodall that I just learned.

2. Jane Goodall was awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II.

"The least I can do is speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves."
-Jane Goodall-

Bonus fact: When chimpanzees are happy they will make a grunting noise. When a chimpanzee "grins" and gives a toothy "smile" people often assume they are happy but in fact that is a sign that they are feeling anxiety or fear. Please remember this next time you are watching a film or television show where they use chimpanzees for entertainment purposes.