![]() Everything suggests that f acial expressions linked to laughter were already present in our primate ancestors, appearing long before humans evolved. These primates can smile in silence, laugh out loud or burst out laughing, a range and flexibility in communicating positive emotions that until now was thought to be a unique human feature. Tambako The Jaguar, Flickr They know how to smile Among other things, games are more cooperative in early childhood, becoming more competitive as young primates grow older. And as in humans, game modes and playmates change as primates grow up. Scientists at the University of Pisa (Italy) have demonstrated that social games, that is, those which are not played alone but with other chimpanzees, help them build strong social relationships and develop cooperative attitudes. Chimpanzees spend many hours playing -which ethologists, the behavioral scientists, have defined as any activity that produces no clear or immediate benefits-, both during their childhood and their “youth”. They not only laugh like us, but also smile in silence they are gourmands, they play, they are aware of the fact that they think and can distinguish between fair and unfair, as well as cultivating friendship.Ĭhildren are not the only ones who spend hours playing and having fun. ![]() After one year, the baby chimpanzees start taking care of themselves.The latest findings on how chimpanzees behave and think have -once again- shown that these primates could well be called the “cousins” of human beings. ![]() For the first six months, the mother will carry her baby wherever she goes. Female chimpanzees take good care of their young ones. They usually have a single chimpanzee baby at one time as twins are very rare. The gestation period in female chimpanzees is around eight months. The third kind is a consortship, which is when a male and a female leave the group to live on their own and avoid other chimpanzees. With this kind of mating, the dominant males may become possessive and prevent their subordinates from copulating with the females. In most cases, receptive females are mated by several mature males. The first is called opportunistic, which is characterized by non-competitive mating. There are three types of mating patterns exhibited by chimpanzees. ![]() CopulationĬopulation is typically initiated by males. The males are attracted to the additional hormonal scents that the females offer during this time of the cycle. This is due to increase in the level of estrogen hormone. The estrus cycle lasts for 36 days and during that time, the female experiences major changes in the shape, size, and color of the genital skin. Male chimpanzees are capable of reproducing when they are 16 years old whereas females reach estrus (the swelling of the ano-genital region that signifies that the female chimpanzee is ready to breed) at the age of 10. Although mating can occur during any time of the year, it is more common in rainy season. It is also believed that chimpanzees take part in the mating process for social interactions at times. Chimpanzees are polygynandrous, as both male and female chimpanzees have multiple partners. The reproduction system in chimpanzees is very complex, and many misconceptions arose early in the study of these animals about the nature of their mating system. ![]()
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