Chimp Moms Play with Their Offspring Through Good Times and Bad
Published:12 Jul.2024 Source:Tufts University
A study observations took place in Kibale National Park in Uganda, and the study analysis, published in Current Biology, was led by Zarin Machanda, and her former postdoctoral associate Kris Sabbi. Kibale is the most primate-dense forest in the world, with thirteen species living there including over 1,000 chimpanzees. Researchers started habituating the chimps to the presence of humans in 1987. Over the decades, teams of researchers took detailed field notes of almost every observable behavior -- including climbing, feeding, grooming, calling, aggression, and play.
Through their previous work, Machanda and Sabbi were familiar with the playfulness of chimpanzees and decided to look deeper into the patterns of play behavior. They expected seasonal variations in food availability would affect adult chimps' time spent playing. For example, when supplies of quality fruits were low, the chimps focused on finding and gathering figs and leaves, and put play time aside. Surprisingly, although chimp mothers had the same challenge in finding food, they continued devoting a lot of their time to nurturing their offspring's development through play.
When it comes to nurturing their young, mother chimpanzees go the extra mile, according to a new study. Using 10 years of observational data on wild chimpanzees, researchers found that while adults often play, and young chimps play a lot, when food gets scarce, the adults put mutual play aside and focus on survival. But in the meantime, mother chimps continue to be their offspring's primary playmate, tickling, chasing, playing 'airplane'. That suggests the mother chimps take on an indispensable role fostering their young's physical and social development even when they are under food stress.