Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Thesouphead · 06-09-2003, 09:57 AM

http://www.dixiexfiles.homestead.com/files/Oliver.htm

The "HumanZee" of Boerne, Texas?

Whatever He Is ...
Oliver's No Gene Genie
A chimp or a mutation? A half-human 'missing-link' or simply genetically diseased? After tracking Oliver for over a decade, cryptozoological detectives and researchers are able, at last, to reveal his identity.

<pz: edited to remove copyrighted material. All content is still available at the link above>

roxrkool · 06-09-2003, 11:30 AM

Hmmm... I watched a show on Discovery (or TLC?) about Oliver a couple of nights ago, and in the end, I was sure I saw something about his Mitochondrial DNA having a slightly different pattern than typical chimps. Is that only part of the story?

Based on those findings, it was suggested he might be a separate, unknown, species(?).

I did notice that the older Oliver was not bald. Is it possible his early owners shaved his head to enhance his humanoid appearance/features?

Thesouphead · 06-09-2003, 11:34 AM

Yes, there was a variation in the DNA, but I still don't understand what it meant. I am guessing he still falls under "unknown". I don't think his head was shaved when he was younger. He had different owners through-out his life and I doubt they all would have been willing to shave the top of his head just to make him look more human. Maybe the research lab he was last taken from had dabbled with Roagain?

roxrkool · 06-09-2003, 12:06 PM

Or maybe it's the same thing with chimps as humans - hair in wild and crazy places starts to sprout with age.

Mageth · 06-09-2003, 12:10 PM

Oliver's a chimp, 100%. Apparently, according to the show, with DNA representative of about 2% of the wild chimpanzee population (IIRC from the eastern extreme of their range) that may be an as-yet-unidentified subspecies.

MrDarwin · 06-09-2003, 01:24 PM

Chimpanzees (and other apes) often lose hair in captivity due to disease or nervous hair-pulling. Without hair, they are surprisingly (or not so surprisingly, depending on your point of view) human-looking.

Edited to add a link to my favorite photo of a bonobo

Thesouphead · 06-09-2003, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MrDarwin
Chimpanzees (and other apes) often lose hair in captivity due to disease or nervous hair-pulling. Without hair, they are surprisingly (or not so surprisingly, depending on your point of view) human-looking.

This "chimp" gained hair in captivity.

Mageth · 06-09-2003, 01:28 PM

This "chimp" gained hair in captivity.

Yeah, after he was moved to the facility in San Antonio, which is far nicer and less stressful than any other place he'd lived since he was a wee ape. He was kept for years in a tiny cage in a research facility before that.

Doubting Didymus · 06-09-2003, 04:31 PM

Given that he is confirmed to be a chimp, I think pinpointed to a certain regional varitety of chimp, are there any other chimps that are at all similar? I, for one, would have liked to get my hands on his parents. Would they have also been slightly different from the rest of the chimp population? Is his knee-locking bipedalism the result of mutations within a single generation? That would have been useful information indeed, even to falsify that idea. I'd have also liked to see if any of his distinctive traits could be passed on, but the sod never bred.

... I suppose it's too much to hope for, but I don't suppose any of his genetic material was ever preserved?

Mageth · 06-09-2003, 04:47 PM

... I suppose it's too much to hope for, but I don't suppose any of his genetic material was ever preserved?

AFAIK, Oliver is still alive. I think he was captured as an infant and brought to the U.S., where he was raised in a human household much like a human infant. Whether he would have walked bipedally in the wild is, of course, unknowable.

06-09-2003, 09:57 AM	#1
Thesouphead Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Atlanta Posts: 717	Oliver...what is he? http://www.dixiexfiles.homestead.com/files/Oliver.htm The "HumanZee" of Boerne, Texas? Whatever He Is ... Oliver's No Gene Genie A chimp or a mutation? A half-human 'missing-link' or simply genetically diseased? After tracking Oliver for over a decade, cryptozoological detectives and researchers are able, at last, to reveal his identity. <pz: edited to remove copyrighted material. All content is still available at the link above>

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

06-09-2003, 11:30 AM	#2
roxrkool Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Colorado Posts: 75	Hmmm... I watched a show on Discovery (or TLC?) about Oliver a couple of nights ago, and in the end, I was sure I saw something about his Mitochondrial DNA having a slightly different pattern than typical chimps. Is that only part of the story? Based on those findings, it was suggested he might be a separate, unknown, species(?). I did notice that the older Oliver was not bald. Is it possible his early owners shaved his head to enhance his humanoid appearance/features?

06-09-2003, 11:34 AM	#3
Thesouphead Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Atlanta Posts: 717	Yes, there was a variation in the DNA, but I still don't understand what it meant. I am guessing he still falls under "unknown". I don't think his head was shaved when he was younger. He had different owners through-out his life and I doubt they all would have been willing to shave the top of his head just to make him look more human. Maybe the research lab he was last taken from had dabbled with Roagain?

06-09-2003, 12:06 PM	#4
roxrkool Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Colorado Posts: 75	Or maybe it's the same thing with chimps as humans - hair in wild and crazy places starts to sprout with age.

06-09-2003, 12:10 PM	#5
Mageth Contributor Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Deep in the heart of mother-lovin' Texas Posts: 29,689	Oliver's a chimp, 100%. Apparently, according to the show, with DNA representative of about 2% of the wild chimpanzee population (IIRC from the eastern extreme of their range) that may be an as-yet-unidentified subspecies.

06-09-2003, 01:24 PM	#6
MrDarwin Veteran Member Join Date: May 2001 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 4,140	Chimpanzees (and other apes) often lose hair in captivity due to disease or nervous hair-pulling. Without hair, they are surprisingly (or not so surprisingly, depending on your point of view) human-looking. Edited to add a link to my favorite photo of a bonobo

06-09-2003, 01:28 PM	#8
Mageth Contributor Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Deep in the heart of mother-lovin' Texas Posts: 29,689	This "chimp" gained hair in captivity. Yeah, after he was moved to the facility in San Antonio, which is far nicer and less stressful than any other place he'd lived since he was a wee ape. He was kept for years in a tiny cage in a research facility before that.

06-09-2003, 04:31 PM	#9
Doubting Didymus Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: East Coast. Australia. Posts: 5,455	Given that he is confirmed to be a chimp, I think pinpointed to a certain regional varitety of chimp, are there any other chimps that are at all similar? I, for one, would have liked to get my hands on his parents. Would they have also been slightly different from the rest of the chimp population? Is his knee-locking bipedalism the result of mutations within a single generation? That would have been useful information indeed, even to falsify that idea. I'd have also liked to see if any of his distinctive traits could be passed on, but the sod never bred. ... I suppose it's too much to hope for, but I don't suppose any of his genetic material was ever preserved?

06-09-2003, 04:47 PM	#10
Mageth Contributor Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Deep in the heart of mother-lovin' Texas Posts: 29,689	... I suppose it's too much to hope for, but I don't suppose any of his genetic material was ever preserved? AFAIK, Oliver is still alive. I think he was captured as an infant and brought to the U.S., where he was raised in a human household much like a human infant. Whether he would have walked bipedally in the wild is, of course, unknowable.

Freethought & Rationalism Archive

The archives are read only.