Famous chimpanzee Ai dies at 49
Ai, a female chimpanzee renowned for her ability to recognize letters and numbers, has died at the age of 49 due to old age and multiple organ failure.
Born in western Africa in 1976, Ai was brought to the university’s Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior in 1977. By just 18 months old, she had begun language learning using computers and other materials, News.Az reports, citing Kazinform.
Over decades, Ai became a central figure in groundbreaking research on primate cognition. She could identify kanji characters, such as recognizing the word for “green” after seeing a green image—a feat highlighted in Nature magazine in 1985.
Ai’s life included remarkable moments, including escaping her cage in 1989, apparently unlocking a padlock with a key. In 2000, she gave birth to her son, Ayumu, who later gained international attention for studies on parent-child knowledge transfer in chimpanzees.
Ai’s contributions advanced understanding of animal intelligence, literacy, and learning, leaving a lasting legacy in primate research.
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