The innate behavior of bonobos never ceases to amaze: not only are they gentle primates, but they even help other specimens even if they don't know them. An altruism that emerged during a series of experiments.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves himThe innate behavior of the Bonobos never ceases to amaze: they are not only primates kind, but they even help the other specimens even if they don't know them.
The bonobo would be a good monkey by nature, according to new research published in Scientific Reports, which in the past had already talked about this primacy. But the novelty now is its propensity to help even those who do not know.
I bonobo (Pan paniscus) o pygmy chimpanzees, according to the team of evolutionary anthropologists at Duke University, in the United States, they show once again the evolutionary proximity to the social behaviors of human beings (or rather, of the best among them ...).
A systematic review
The protagonists of the research were anthropomorphic monkeys living in the “Lola ya Bonobo” sanctuary of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The team led by Jingzhi Tan he placed sixteen specimens in two different but adjacent rooms.
Above the first room there was a pin that allowed to drop a fruit attached to the ceiling of the second, unreachable by animals. By observing the behavior of the bonobos, the scientists found that the specimens in the first room offered the fruit to those in the second, even if they did not ask for help to reach it.
A gesture of selflessness since, when the second room was occupied, the bonobos in the first dropped the fruit four times faster than when the room was empty.
There was then a second test for the bonobos, this time through videos some members of their family and other strangers were shown yawning or having a natural expression.
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As happens to us, who seeing someone make a mistake by reflex, the exact same thing was for the African primates.
“Some studies suggest that the phenomenon is related to a basic form of empathy called 'emotional contagion,' when a person's mood triggers similar emotions in others around him,” explains Per Tan in the study.
According to the researcher, for this reason bonobos show that gestures of kindness are not exclusive to humans.
Extraordinary animals, read here:
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- DOLPHINS, DOGS AND ELEPHANTS ARE AS INTELLIGENT (AND MORE) AS INTELLIGENT AS PRIMATES. BUT THEIR WAY
- RUBY, THE DOG-NURSE ASSISTING THE ANIMALS SAVED FROM THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE
The predisposition to be kind towards strangers would be linked to the fact that even in bonobos the first impression could be very important.
“All relationships begin between two strangers and when you meet one you may meet him again. This individual could become your future friend or ally. You want to be nice to someone who will be important to you, ”says Tan.
Dominella Trunfio
