From The Love Life Of The Apes (92/268)

Marriage, harem, free love - in various cultures people have lived in very different communities, and this is no coincidence. If we take a look at the love life of our closest relatives, we find all these various forms of cohabitation. The gibbons in the Thai rain forest live in monogamous marriages their whole life long - at least this was the conventional wisdom, until it was discovered that these model apes in fact have very human characteristics: both partners are unfaithful. Harems are also commonplace among our hirsute cousins: a form of life which modern Europeans usually reject as misogynistic. Taking a closer look, however, researchers found out that in the case of the gorillas the harem was actually established by the females. In the life of our animal relatives we find both single mothers as well as males who never know whether they are the fathers of the offspring because the females have sex with every male in the group. Whether the love life of our closest relatives inspires us or whether we are simply amazed by it - in one form or another each of us will recognize ourselves.

The following new episodes are available:

  • Jaguar Safari
  • The Guinea Pig and his Grumpy Neighbors
  • Raccoon Party
  • Tiger Country
  • Portugal - The Return of the Wild Creatures