Moja (chimpanzee)
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Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates (LEMSIP)
| Other name | Swahili: "one" |
|---|---|
| Species | Chimpanzee |
| Sex | Female |
| Born | November 18, 1972 Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates (LEMSIP) |
| Died | June 6, 2002 (Aged 29) |
| Known for | the first ape to paint figurative works |
Moja (Swahili: "one"; November 18, 1972 - June 6, 2002) was a chimpanzee at the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute.[1] She was born at the Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates (LEMSIP).[2] In infanthood, Moja was used in a science experiment by Allen and Beatrix Gardner, who raised her like a human child immersed in an environment of American Sign Language.[3] She was later taken in by Roger and Deborah Fouts, who brought Moja and other chimps involved in the sign language experiments — Washoe and her son Loulis, Dar, and Tatu — to Central Washington University.[4]
While engaging in play activities, she was observed changing her appearance in the presence of a mirror using clothing, masks and make-up. She was also observed to place sunglasses upon her head, look into a mirror and make the sign-language sign for "glasses" on one occasion, also using the mirror for the application of lip-gloss and a crayon for the same purpose.[5]
Moja is known as "the first ape to paint figurative works." For example, she drew a circle, colored it orange, and signed cherry.[6]
She had a fear of metal ice cube tray dividers, which her fellow chimp Tatu would taunt her with.[4]
