Like humans, other great apes can place a smart bet says Leoma Williams.
In a European study, researchers gave several species of great ape and monkey the chance to gamble a small cracker in their possession, for the potential jackpot of a larger one. There was a risk of losing – getting an even smaller cracker. Vegas, eat your heart out!
The scientists varied the odds of winning over different trials, by changing the ratio of large to small crackers, and by varying the amount of information the primates had about the odds (by covering some of the options). Because of this, the furry gamblers could not always estimate their chances of winning.
Results showed that orangutans, along with chimpanzees, were the savviest gamblers, deciding to take the risk more often when the odds of success were higher, even when some guessing was required.
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