Infectious yawning helps lions synchronize better in activities such as hunting, a new study reveals

A new study published in Animal Behavior reveals the importance of contagious yawning for lions who, through this spontaneous gesture, are able to synchronize better in activities such as hunting.

He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him

Yawning is contagious (we know it well!) And not only among humans. Numerous studies have analyzed the dynamics linked to this reflex breathing act, focusing on various species of mammals including monkeys, wolves and dogs, but the role of yawning among lions has never been examined so far. Thanks to new scientific research, published in Animal Behavior magazine, we now know that yawning is of great importance to the pack for these extraordinary felines and is an element that allows the group to synchronize better in activities such as hunting.

The interesting study was conducted over a period of 5 months, on two groups of lions living in the Makalali Reserve in South Africa.

"In a certain sense, the work was born a little by chance: the two students who signed the publication, Grazia Casetta and Andrea Nolfo, had gone there to study hyenas but, over the course of the six months spent in the field, they were also able to collect a lot of material on lions ”- explains Elisabetta Palagi, ethologist at the University of Pisa and coordinator of the study. - "Already from a first glance at the material, we realized that it provided an excellent opportunity to study yawning: in fact, the animals captured in the videos were all known, an element that helps the statistical analysis, and moreover the lions do not they only yawn a lot, but they are also by far the most social felines - in short, a good model species on which to investigate the role of yawning contagion within the group ”.

The team then focused on feline yawns, noting that spontaneous yawns were more frequent when lions were relaxed. This finding supports the theory that yawning is related to the transition between sleep and wakefulness (and vice versa).

The important role of yawning among lions

The study went beyond spontaneous yawning. The researchers decided, in fact, to investigate the dynamics connected to contagious yawning to understand what they were associated with. As pointed out by Professor Palagi, “the contagion of yawning is considered an indicator of emotional contagion, the most basic form of empathy, because it is modulated by the level of attachment between individuals. But, in turn, attachment can be promoted by "doing things together": can yawning contagion be the element that promotes this coordination? ".

To answer this last question, the scholars compared what happened among the lions in three different cases, observing the behavior of the group with respect to a single specimen.

“What we have observed is that the alignment, that is motor convergence and post-yawn synchronization are maximal when contagion has occurred”- reveals Palagi. - "And this is the first study to show that then, in some way, the yawning contagion is the element that triggers a behavioral synchronization".

In nature, synchronization is essential for a variety of activities a group of animals carry out together, such as hunting or defending from other predators. And, as also reiterated by Professor Palagi, "the contagion of yawning could be important for the development of higher forms of sociality".

In short, the mechanisms related to yawning are much more complex and fascinating than imagined!

Font: Animal Behaviour/OggiScienza