Talking Apes

World Chimpanzee Day Special with Gombe Director Dr Deus Mjungu | Episode 83

For our Season 5 finale, Talking Apes marks World Chimpanzee Day with one of the most fitting guests imaginable. Dr. Deus Mjungu is Director of the Jane Goodall Institut

GIBBONS: The Forgotten Apes with Dr. Susan Cheyne | Episode 82

This week on Talking Apes, Gerry Ellis is joined by one of the world's leading gibbon experts, Dr. Susan Cheyne. After nearly three decades working in the rainforest

Why Do We Kiss? The Evolution of Sex and Bonding in Apes with Dr Matilda Brindle | Episode 81

This episode explores aspects of primate behavior, including non-reproductive sexual behaviors, from a scientific and evolutionary perspective. Some listeners may find pa

Can Technology Save Chimpanzees? with Dr. Lilian Pintea | Episode 80

Welcome to our Earth Day 2026 Special.  What happens when cutting-edge technology meets community-led conservation? In this episode of Talking Apes, Gerry Ellis sits dow

Can Stories Change the Way We Care About the Earth? with Mongabay's Mike DiGirolamo | Episode 79

Environmental storytelling has never been more important. In this episode of Talking Apes, Gerry Ellis sits down with journalist and podcast host Mike DiGirolamo, the voi

What Are Chimpanzees Saying? Chimp Communication and the Origins of Language with Dr. Katie Slocombe | Episode 78

How did human language evolve and what can our closest relatives teach us about its origins? In this episode of Talking Apes, Gerry Ellis sits down with primatologist Kat

Painting Primates in the Heart of Africa with Robin Huffman | Episode 77

This week on Talking Apes, we record on site in the rainforests of Cameroon at Ape Action Africa’s Mefou Sanctuary, where art and primate conservation intersect. Our gues

BONOBOS: More Than Just Sex - with Ariel Rogers & Dr. Brian Hare | Episode 76

Bonobos may be our closest living relatives, but we still have so much to learn about and from them. In this episode of Talking Apes, we sit down with Ariel Rogers, Execu

Why Humans Walk Upright with Dr. Carol Ward | Episode 75

Have you ever wondered how we became the upright, big-brained, tool-wielding species we are today? In this fascinating episode of Talking Apes, Gerry Ellis sits down with

The Truth About Female Evolution with EVE Author Cat Bohannon | Episode 74

Join us for a lively, curiosity-filled deep dive with author and researcher Cat Bohannon, whose award-winning book Eve reframes 200 million years of evolution through the

Uncovering the Hobbit Mystery: What Homo floresiensis Reveals About Us with Dr Matt Tocheri | Episode 73

Paleoanthropologist Dr. Matt Tocheri joins host Gerry Ellis to explore the remarkable discovery of Homo floresiensis — the so-called Flores “Hobbit” of Indonesia. What do

Inside the Society of Gorillas: World Gorilla Day 2025 with Dr. Robin Morrison | Episode 72

This World Gorilla Day, Talking Apes kicks off Season 5 with a fascinating guest: behavioral ecologist and evolutionary biologist Robin Morrison. Robin has worked with b

World Chimpanzee Day with Dr Rachna Reddy | Episode 71

In this episode of Talking Apes, we follow Dr. Rachna Reddy into the the African rainforest, where the laughter of chimps and the quiet rhythms of bonobo life echo deeper

What BaYaka Children Can Teach About Being Human with Dr Deniz Salali | Episode 70

What does a Congolese rainforest childhood reveal about the roots of human cooperation? In this captivating episode of Talking Apes, we sit down with Dr. Gul Deniz Salali

Talking Apes, Yes, All Apes! with Dr. Adriano Lameira | Episode 69

Are we really the only "talking apes"?  Get ready for a mind-blowing episode with Dr. Adriano Reis E Lameira, one of the world’s leading experts on the evolution of speec

The Climbing Secret Behind Monkey Bars with Luke Fannin | Episode 68

Hanging with Our Ancestors: Luke Fannin on Climbing, Evolution & Ape Locomotion Ever wondered why kids instinctively love monkey bars? Or why apes move so deliberately i

Happy EARTH DAY! With Jane Goodall Institute's Anna Rathmann | Episode 67

                                The Amazing People Behind Jane Goodall  What does it take to lead one of the most iconic conservation organizations in the world? In this

IUCN’s Role in Saving Our Planet with Sean Southey | Episode 66

Earth Month Special: A Deep Dive into Global Conservation with Sean Southey  “This is our global education moment. This is the time to champion. This is the time to be n

Southeast Asia’s Secret Monkeys with Dr. Andie Ang | Episode 65

In this episode of Talking Apes, we’re joined by Dr. Andie Ang, a primatologist dedicated to the conservation of Southeast Asia’s elusive and endangered colobine monkeys.

Tracing Our Footsteps Through Time with Jeremy DeSilva | Episode 64

Bipedalism - How Walking Made Us Human with Jeremy DeSilva “The history of our lineage is filled with multiple species coexisting—this moment, with only one upright walk