Friday 5 August 2022 04:52 PM Bonobos produce high-pitched 'baby-like' cries when they are attacked to ... trends now
View
comments
Bonobos are our closest relatives in the animal kingdom, sharing about 98.7 per cent of our DNA - and it seem they have picked up a few human-like characteristics along the way.
A new study has revealed that the apes produce high-pitched 'baby-like' cries when they are attacked, in order to attract comfort from others.
These displays of distress are strategic, increasing their chances of receiving consolation from bonobo bystanders, scientists claim.
They resemble those typically used by infants - such as pouting, whimpering and showing tantrums.
The study by psychologists at Durham University reveals that adult bonobos are also less likely to be re-attacked by their former opponent when they display these 'baby-like' signals following a conflict.
Bonobos' displays of distress resemble those typically used by infants - such as pouting, whimpering and showing tantrums
'Bonobos are highly sensitive to social situations and who is surrounding them,' said lead author Dr Raphaela Heesen.
'They have rich emotional lives and are able to communicate their emotional states in flexible ways to influence their group members.
'In using specifically "baby-like" signals, bonobos might increase their chances to be consoled by others and alleviate their own stress level following aggressive attacks.
'Our research shows emotions and their expression do not only play a role in the regulation of social life in our own species, but also in our closest living primate relatives.'
For years, scientists believed that great apes had no control over their emotional expressions. However, the new study, published in the journal Philosophical Transactions B,
