Physical Distancing STEM Break with Ms. Meghan: Sing with the Gorillas

Did you know that your Galesburg Public Library card allows you to check out e-books and audio books through the Libby app? All you need is your library card and your PIN (your birth date in MMDDYYYY format) and you'll be on your way to reading on your phone or tablet!

I'll be pairing up Libby books for GPL patrons with STEM activities, live webcams, educational programs, and citizen science projects.

So, let's go

Sing with the Gorillas!



Scientists have known for years that gorillas hum and sing when they eat. But they finally caught this behavior on camera! How cool is that?


Read:

There are a number of books about African great apes that you can borrow from Libby, including Good Morning, Gorillas by Mary Pope Osborne and My Life with the Chimpanzees by Jane Goodall.


Watch:
You can see the first video of mountain gorillas humming over their food in this YouTube clip from Nature. That was taken with a (in my opinion) really creepy baby gorilla robot camera.

Observe:
Now that you've seen how other primates vocalize when they eat, make some observations of your own. Do you make noises when you've got yummy food to eat? What about other members of your family? If you've got pets at home, do they make noises when they eat? What about when you're getting their food ready?