Chimps 'trade' just like humans - and some even indulge in 'the oldest profession'
A western common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) of the type that the scientists observed. 'Trade' was common among the chimps - and their relationships were much more 'human' than many of us might care to admit
Chimps have been known to share meat when they find a large carcass, but scientists observing the animals in the wild in Senegal found that chimps 'share' far more than previously thought.
Chimp communities involve so much trade - and such complex relationships - that they are much more like our societies than many of us would care to admit.
Te chimp 'market' that the scientists observed saw chimps sharing food and tools 41 times - in exchange for 'social favours'.
On 27 occasions, male savannah chimps in the Fongoli area of south-east Senegal gave females food and tools.
On several occasions, the trade wasn't quite what you'd imagine of a human 'deal' - it was simply that the male chimp didn't resist when a female ran off with something.
Fongoli males outnumber females - so they have to be polite if they want to have a chance with the other sex, and 'politness' among chimps, it seems, extends to handing over fruit and tools.
Overall, the researchers observed 41 'trades' between the chimps - and say that the extent of the trade shows that the animals are more 'human' than we thought.
The relatively 'complex' lives of the Fongoli chimps - they hunt other animals with spears and shelter in caves - may heighten the frequency of trade among the animals.
It also might offer a glimpse into the past of our own species.
The relatively 'complex' lives of the Fongoli chimps - they hunt other animals with spears and shelter in caves - may heighten the frequency of trade among the animals
'These findings have prompted primatologists to use some terms that have in the past been reserved for humans,' said Christophe Boesch, of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, to New Scientist.
Males even handed over food to other males, usually in exchange for support in future violent encounters with other males.
But the sheer amount of 'trade' - of various types - among the group led the observers, led by Jill Pruetz of Iowa State University, to conclude that the trade itself held the community together.
'Other age-sex classes were also involved,' said Pruetz, 'and I think this reflects the cohesive nature of this chimp community.
Boesch, in a separate study, observed 44 chimps over 22 months, and also concluded that they do trade.
The 'lowest value' commodity was grooming - which could usually only be traded for more grooming.
'Social interactions are not random in a chimpanzee society,' says Boesch, 'Much of it is based on memory and long-term relationships.'
Other specialists even use the term 'friends'.
A western common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) of the type that the scientists observed. 'Trade' was common among the chimps - and their relationships were much more 'human' than many of us might care to admit
Chimps have been known to share meat when they find a large carcass, but scientists observing the animals in the wild in Senegal found that chimps 'share' far more than previously thought.
Chimp communities involve so much trade - and such complex relationships - that they are much more like our societies than many of us would care to admit.
Te chimp 'market' that the scientists observed saw chimps sharing food and tools 41 times - in exchange for 'social favours'.
On 27 occasions, male savannah chimps in the Fongoli area of south-east Senegal gave females food and tools.
On several occasions, the trade wasn't quite what you'd imagine of a human 'deal' - it was simply that the male chimp didn't resist when a female ran off with something.
Fongoli males outnumber females - so they have to be polite if they want to have a chance with the other sex, and 'politness' among chimps, it seems, extends to handing over fruit and tools.
Overall, the researchers observed 41 'trades' between the chimps - and say that the extent of the trade shows that the animals are more 'human' than we thought.
The relatively 'complex' lives of the Fongoli chimps - they hunt other animals with spears and shelter in caves - may heighten the frequency of trade among the animals.
It also might offer a glimpse into the past of our own species.
The relatively 'complex' lives of the Fongoli chimps - they hunt other animals with spears and shelter in caves - may heighten the frequency of trade among the animals
'These findings have prompted primatologists to use some terms that have in the past been reserved for humans,' said Christophe Boesch, of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, to New Scientist.
Males even handed over food to other males, usually in exchange for support in future violent encounters with other males.
But the sheer amount of 'trade' - of various types - among the group led the observers, led by Jill Pruetz of Iowa State University, to conclude that the trade itself held the community together.
'Other age-sex classes were also involved,' said Pruetz, 'and I think this reflects the cohesive nature of this chimp community.
Boesch, in a separate study, observed 44 chimps over 22 months, and also concluded that they do trade.
The 'lowest value' commodity was grooming - which could usually only be traded for more grooming.
'Social interactions are not random in a chimpanzee society,' says Boesch, 'Much of it is based on memory and long-term relationships.'
Other specialists even use the term 'friends'.
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