【英语时差8,16】不怕火的猩猩-上（在线收听）

What do you do when the savannah is on fire? If you’re a frightened elephant or gazelle, unable to gauge the ferocity or direction of the flames, you run. If you’re a chimpanzee, scientists at the Fongoli research site in Senegal have found, you might not be so concerned. As a matter of fact, you might even do a little dance. Why do savannah chimps appear to be unafraid of fire? Scientists believe it’s because they are intelligent enough to predict where the fire is going to spread. Instead of panicking, chimps remain calm near the flames and continue with their daily business. They even have what scientists call a “fire dance.” Similar to the “rain dance” coined by primatologist Jane Goodall, dominant males perform an exaggerated, slow motion dominance display toward the fire. Chimp behavior is often used as a clue to understand early hominid or human behavior. Scientists have long wondered how hominids overcame the instinctive fear of fire and learned to manipulate it.