Major Apes and their Playful Behavior In the animal kingdom, great apes are known to indulge in playful activities such as pushing, teasing, tickling each other, and even playfully stealing food or objects belonging to their peers.
This playful behavior is considered to be the foundation of humor, a trait shared by humans. It is fascinating to observe how these apes create a fun-filled environment through their playful teasing.
Zoologists have undertaken various studies to comprehend this playful behavior. The study of playful bullying among apes has not been thoroughly explored, according to Isabelle Laumer, a mammal researcher, and biologist.
Laumer, who works at the Max Planck Center for Animal Research in Konstanz, Germany, is particularly interested in understanding the conditions under which monkeys indulge in playful teasing and what such behavior actually entails.
Understanding the Humor Comprehension of this behavior could provide insights into the origins of human humor. Laumer has found that playful teasing is a behavior common to all four species of apes studied.
Earlier studies have indicated that chimpanzees engage in bullying or harassment to assert their position within their community. However, the apes also know how to strike a balance, turning the act of teasing into an activity of play and fun.
The Study For his research, Laumer compiled a series of videos featuring five large ape species in various zoos. The species included Bonobos, Sumatranorankaia, Gorillas, Eastern Gorillas, and Chimpanzees. The video footage, spanning 75 hours, featured 34 different monkeys, and from this, 504 interactions were classified.
Among these interactions, 42 were categorized as playful teasing, involving 18 different behaviors – pushing, hitting, pulling hair, impeding movement, and stealing. Laumer observed that teasing among monkeys was characterized by provocation, often one-sided, repeated again and again.
The Tease After the act of teasing, the instigator often looked at the target’s face, as if waiting for a response. If the target did not respond, the teasing would continue, sometimes intensifying. The monkeys had to ensure that their teasing was perceived as playful, hence the need for a calm and relaxed environment.
Laumer noted that the monkeys were typically relaxed during such interactions, and even considered stealing to be playful, particularly when the stolen item was not beneficial to the bully.
The Evolution of Humor The common ancestors of humans and monkeys might have also engaged in playful teasing. Hence, these behaviors could have evolved into the human traits of humor and joking.
“Great apes can tell us which features of human information processing and behavior we have in common. They probably evolved millions of years ago,” comments Christopher Krupenye, a researcher from Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, USA.
“All monkeys seem to engage in playful teasing. It opens the way to further research on the same subject and to also study the playful behavior of other animal species.”
The study on playfulness among apes was published in the British science journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
