Joking around common among young chimps — and across ape family, study finds
- Great apes, including orangutans, chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas, engage in playful teasing behavior similar to humans. The teasing involves provocation, surprise, and playfulness.
- Playful teasing may have evolved in humans at least 13 million years ago and serves as a cognitive precursor to joking. It helps test social boundaries and strengthen relationships.
- This study highlights the similarities between great apes and humans, emphasizing the need to protect these endangered animals and inspire further research in understanding the evolution of playful teasing.
24 Articles
24 Articles
Great apes are pranksters too
Like humans, great apes are ticklish, they laugh and play. And it has now been confirmed that they also tease each other. The study of interactions within groups of bonobos, chimpanzees, orangutans, and gorillas shows that some, especially the juveniles, pull the adults’ hair, tap them on the back and run away, or stand directly in front of an adult with their faces almost touching. For the authors of this new study, the fact that hominid specie…
Great apes tease each other just like humans do, says new study
Babies playfully tease others as young as eight months of age. Since language is not required for this behavior, similar kinds of playful teasing might be present in non-human animals. Now cognitive biologists and primatologists from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA, US), the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior (MPI-AB, Germany), Indiana University (IU, US), and the University of California San Diego (UCSD, US) have documented …
Old joke: Apes exhibit teasing behaviour, suggesting an ancient trait
A lively young chimpanzee playfully slaps an adult family member on the back, then swiftly retreats, glancing back to gauge the reaction to his cheeky act. Not receiving an immediate response, the chimp, named Azibo, rolls back and delivers another slap, finally provoking a reaction. The distracted adult half-heartedly waves a hand in Azibo's direction, dismissing the mischievous youth, though not for long.
Joking around common among young chimps — and across ape family, study finds
Great apes have a penchant for joking and clowning around, according to a new study — a finding that sheds new light on the origins of human humor. All species of great apes tease, tweak and occasionally torment their peers and older relatives — then stand back to watch the results, according to findings published on Tuesday in…
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