Witness a young, vivacious chimpanzee at Leipzig Zoo in Germany boldly giving an unsuspecting older member of its group a swift slap on the back. The juvenile, known as Azibo, races away with a glance over its shoulder, eager to gauge the elder’s reaction.
No immediate reply ensues, prompting Azibo to engage once more, inciting a nonchalant, dismissive swat from the preoccupied senior—a mere sign to refrain, albeit momentarily.
This instance is part of a plethora of behaviors researchers have scrutinized, leading to findings that great apes indulge in a playful form of teasing closely resembling that of young human children.
Observations of all four great ape species partaking in such interactions have led scientists to surmise through a recent study that the fundamental cognitive abilities underpinning humor probably emerged in a joint ancestor millions of years ago.
A diverse array of humorous antics has been cataloged by the researchers: apes teasingly offering objects and snatching them away last minute, hindering others from attaining what they are after, blatantly defying commands, or just nudging for the fun of it.
This comedic play starts as early as eight months in certain notably precocious human infants.
Described as a balance between harmless play and potential hostility, playful teasing involves predicting and enjoying the subversion of another’s expectations, as discussed in the study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Study lead author Isabelle Laumer of the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior expressed astonishment at the almost nonexistence of aggressive responses to such high-spirited teasing.
Renowned primatologist Jane Goodall had noted young chimpanzees disturbing their slumbering seniors by leaping upon them or engaging in playful nips and tugs, recounted Laumer.
Even to such antics, adults typically reacted with composure, she added.
Mischief in Play
Researchers, including those from the University of California, Los Angeles, compiled 75 hours of footage depicting chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans in playful shenanigans within zoo confines.
They zeroed in on one juvenile from each species, identifying 18 distinct manners of teasing.
The most antics were notably from chimpanzees: disrupting the peace of resting adults, creating obstacles, while orangutans demonstrated their hair-pulling skills and gorillas showed a partiality towards a good old-fashioned shove.
As with the case of Azibo, typically, a youthful ape initiated the tease, prodding at an adult until an acknowledgment results.
Occasionally, the original prank becomes flipped, with the initial victim responding in kind. This can escalate into more conventional play activities involving wrestling, chase games, mock bites, or tickling.
For playful teasing to occur, there must exist an imbalance—one must actively provoke the other, the study stresses.
These researchers posit that the mental faculties for such jesting were present in the shared progenitor of modern primates, including humans, as far back as 13 million years ago.
Although the researchers did not dwell on the deeper implications of ape teasing, Laumer suggested that for human offspring, it is a means of exploring social boundaries that, through shared merriment, might actually solidify relationships between the joker and the target.
© Agence France-Presse
FAQs about Apes and The Evolution of Humor
- Do all great ape species engage in playful teasing?
- Yes, observations suggest that chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans, and gorillas all partake in various forms of playful teasing.
- How does ape teasing behavior compare with that of human children?
- Ape teasing behavior is quite similar to the playful antics of young human children, who start teasing sometimes as early as eight months old.
- What does playful teasing among apes indicate about the evolution of humor?
- Scientists believe that apes’ playful teasing behaviors demonstrate that the cognitive prerequisites for humor evolved in a common ancestor of humans and great apes millions of years ago.
- How did the researchers study this teasing behavior among apes?
- The researchers used 75 hours of video footage to observe and identify multiple teasing behaviors across different individuals within each great ape species.
- What are some examples of teasing behaviors noted in the study?
- Examples include apes offering and then pulling away objects, blocking access to items, not following given instructions, as well as poking and prodding others.
Conclusion
The in-depth exploration of teasing behaviors among great apes offers a fascinating glimpse into the early foundations of humor. These observations illuminate how the cognitive skills necessary for understanding and producing humor are not exclusive to humans but shared with our closest evolutionary relatives. While further research is needed to fully interpret the social implications of such behaviors, it’s evident that the seeds of comedy and the joy it brings have deep evolutionary roots.