Chimpanzees Curb Pineapple Theft From Friends in 1st Study Showing Bonds Beat Food
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 23
Chimpanzees Curb Pineapple Theft From Friends in 1st Study Showing Bonds Beat Food
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 23
Summary
A new experiment found chimpanzees were less likely to steal pineapple slices from close companions, marking the first evidence that primates can suppress a selfish impulse to protect friendships.
Pasa and Yoyo — two female chimps at Uganda's Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary — exemplified the kind of bond the researchers tested, built through grooming, food sharing and close daily association.
Lead author Oded Ritov said the result suggests chimps hold social expectations of one another, a possible precursor to human ideas of fairness and morality.
The finding also feeds a long-running debate over whether 'friendship' in nonhuman primates is anthropomorphic, as growing evidence shows chimps and bonobos extend extra trust and support to favored peers.