Chimpanzees and bonobos recognize old acquaintances, even if they haven't seen them in decades. This is clear from research conducted by Johns Hopkins University (USA)..
Scientists showed two pictures of animals in zoos in Japan, Scotland and Belgium. One of the pictures was of a monkey that used to live in the same zoo, but has since moved or died. The other photo showed an unknown monkey.
Out of sight, in the heart
He. She Eye trackingResearch has not addressed this: monkeys looked at photos of former group members for much longer. Pictures of monkeys with whom they had a positive relationship were viewed more closely.
For example, the bonobo Louise's gaze lingered noticeably long on photographs of her sister Loretta and her cousin Erin over several sessions. The last time she saw the family was 26 years ago.
Aren't they cute, these bonobos? Appearances are deceiving. Great apes are much more aggressive than expected.
And even shorter:
- It has been known for some time that monkeys are social animals.
- For example, after an activity, they sometimes say goodbye by shaking hands.
- When a monkey dies in a group, members of the species with whom the dead monkey had the strongest bond take longer to say goodbye.
