That’s Albert, a 20 year old chimpanzee. Liker other social animals, Albert joined Facebook. He was the first ape (some would disagree) to join the social networking site. He was followed by Mr. Jones, Sheila and Britney.
It’s no monkey business. It’s part of the Cyberchimps Project studying the “virtual” social behavior of chimpanzees. The four chimps in the Project communicate on Facebook using over a thousand symbols. They can add friends, text messages and even change their profile pics, using software designed specifically for the primates. The software recognizes sign language and uses a touch screen.
“Although sociologists and anthropologists have used social networks as empirical research tools, Facebook will now provide a new platform for biologists to observe the chimpanzees’ social skills,” says Dr. John F. Marlowe, chief researcher of the study.
Source: AppScout.
