Animal Kingdom--Not As Far Away As We Thought

Recently I ran across two primate studies.   First one, then two months later, the other showed up.  You really have to wonder about primate researchers, especially those that do their studies in the wild.  Maybe it's loneliness, but they keep proving these animals can do what we do, and are almost like us.  No, they stop short of speech (although I can remember when some animal researchers famously taught sign language to a couple of monkeys (at least I think they were monkeys--we'll see what Google has to say--nope, they were chimps).

First, the study of orangutans established that they planned their travels the day before and the leader gave notice the day before, especially to the females in the hope they would follow.  He would clearly point in the direction he planned to go; then he'd go to sleep, wake up ten or twelve hours later, holler to the others and set out.   The females would follow.  There is no evidence to establish whether or not the females told the leader where he was going to go in the first place, but it they really are like humans....  Well, you draw your own conclusions.  But it's a fact, "orangutans make plans."

 A couple of months later, another bunch of anthropologists with too much time on their hands were watching dozens of chimpanzees.  Studies of anthropologists in the wild have established that if they watch chimps long enough, they will begin to despise bananas and have dreams at night about their colleagues becoming chimps one inch at a time, beginning from the tops of their heads, and... but that's another story.

Back to the study of chimps.  It turns out that chimps make friends by sharing meals.  The anthropologists determined this be measuring oxytocin levels in chimpanzees.  Oxytocin is a hormone identified in humans (and, f course, chimps) as evidence of bonding, such as that which occurs between a mother and her breastfed child.  Another finding was that the oxytocin levels were equally high, whether the chimp was giving food or receiving it.  So, "chimps that share are chimps that care."

A comparison was made between sharing of food and grooming one another, which is an indication of friendship among chimps.  It seems that if you are really good friends, you pick the bugs out of each others hair.  But, the anthropologists noted, this only occurs between old friends.  Sort of makes you want to go out and find new friends and escape the old, doesn't it?  But, you might just want to reflect on the notion that you singles out there can meet and make friends in a bar, drinking too much of your favorite beverage.  You might just be better off inviting a few friends over for dinner, asking each of them to bring a friend.  Sharing meals is what makes friends, not making eyes at members of the opposite sex in a bar, even if you can dance.