And monkeys have their own Kim Kardashian!
In a nature reserve in Zambia, chimpanzees have a new fashion trend – wearing a blade of grass behind their ear. Scientists noted that the first to do this was a female named Julia. And then everyone else did it!
This observation was highlighted in the media in connection with a loud statement by specialists from the University of St Andrews.1… Scientists analyzed studies on animal behavior over the past 70 years. And they came to the conclusion that some animals are able to create their own culture and traditions.
Evidence that animals have more in common with us than meets the eye appears regularly in academic sources. It turns out that the world of primates not only has its own fashion, but real Mexican passions are raging worse than in any soap opera!
So, scientists from the University of California have found that monogamous primates are capable of experiencing the pangs of jealousy. In one study, a pair of primates were placed in different cages. The male was left in splendid isolation, and an unfamiliar monkey gentleman was placed next to the female. When the primate saw his beloved, who has mercy on another, he turned into a real Othello. The level of testosterone and cortisol in the animal’s blood significantly increased, which indicates severe stress.
Also, primates are familiar with the torment we know, which provokes a loved one by announcing that he is going to drink coffee with another “just a friend”. For half an hour, the copper jumpers were shown how their partner interacts and plays with other primates of the opposite sex. Their reactions were recorded on video. The poor animals showed concern. Brain scans after the study confirmed that some monkeys would also be painful to watch “the same one” having fun with a mop and posting it in stories.
Another area of life in which animals demonstrate the ability to be humanly complex is sex.
There is a lot of scientific evidence that animals have sex not so much for the sake of procreation, but, like us, for pleasure. So, in the journal Zoo Biology2 an article was published on how brown bears were caught engaging in oral sex.
While primatologists found that female bonobos and white-faced capuchins harassed males, regardless of whether they were at that moment capable of conceiving. They actively pursued sex even when they were pregnant or breastfeeding.
Everything is like people!
Sources of the article:
1. St. Andrews University (eng. )
2. Magazine .