Young Macaque Walking Upright at Israeli Zoo

In 2004, Natasha, a young macaque monkey at the Safari Park near Tel Aviv, unexpectedly switched to exclusively bipedal walking after a near-fatal stomach ailment. Zoo veterinarians were unsure why the primate began walking erect like a human, but speculated that it may be due to brain damage associated with the illness.

Natasha is a member of the same genus that was recently discovered fishing in Indonesia.

Here is some cheeky audio from NPR coverage of the story.

(Photo: Eli Dasa / AP)