Teasing includes poking, hitting, hair-pulling
Do you play pranks for April Fools’ Day?
It turns out that a sense of humour runs in the family.
The Hominidae, or great ape, family that is.
Humans share a common ancestor with bonobos, chimpanzees, orangutans and gorillas, making us all part of the great ape family.
A study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B on Feb. 14 found that non-human great apes prank each other, too.
Scientists at three universities in the U.S. and one in Germany conducted the research.
The scientists hope that by showing the similarities between humans and other great apes, their study will help scientists understand the evolution of humour – and encourage people to protect our primate relatives.
A young gorilla at the San Diego Zoo is recorded, as part of the study, running past his mother with a surprise hitting prank. (Image credit: Laumer et al., 2024 Proceedings of the Royal Society B)
Studying ape pranksters
Scientists recorded videos of great apes at the San Diego Zoo in the U.S. and the Leipzig Zoo in Germany from 2016 to 2019.
They paid especially close attention to the juveniles in the groups.
The researchers used behavioural criteria to identify the potential instances of pranking.
They found young great apes were involved in the majority of teasing events.
These included hitting, poking, pulling hair and waving an arm or leg in the face of the unsuspecting victim.
Overall, the researchers found 18 distinct teasing behaviours.
Two gorillas play together. (Image credit: Max Block)
But why do they do it?
The scientists observed a pattern of great ape pranks.
First, the teasing ape would intentionally provoke their target.
Then it would watch for a reaction.
If the target didn’t respond, the ape would repeat the prank, and sometimes even elaborate on it.
This suggests that apes, like humans, tease each other to get a reaction.
A young orangutan pulls its mother’s hair. (Image credit: BOS Foundation BPI)
What can we learn from this?
Although past primatologists (people who study primates) have reported instances of ape teasing, this is the first systematic study of that behaviour.
The fact that both humans and non-human great apes tease suggests that some form of the behaviour has been around since the last common ancestor of humans and great apes, around 13 million years ago.
“We also hope that this study raises awareness of the similarities we share with our closest relatives and the importance of protecting these endangered animals,” Isabelle Laumer, the study’s lead author, said in a news release.
Click play to see these great ape pranks for yourself!
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TOP IMAGE CREDIT: The Associated Press, with graphic design by Yousef Abdel Rahman/CBC
