{"id":37303,"date":"2024-03-26T16:22:32","date_gmt":"2024-03-26T15:22:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/0231511a-fb9e-4fdd-acfc-4bccf6bd3942"},"modified":"2024-03-26T16:35:43","modified_gmt":"2024-03-26T15:35:43","slug":"chimp-moms-play-airplanes-with-their-kids-even-when-theyre-tired-and-hungry","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/chimp-moms-play-airplanes-with-their-kids-even-when-theyre-tired-and-hungry\/","title":{"rendered":"Chimp moms play ‘airplanes’ with their kids, even when they’re tired and hungry"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mamma chimps prioritise playtime with their offspring, even when food is scarce, according to new research. <\/p>

By Helen Pilcher\n <\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 26 March 2024 at 15:22 PM<\/p>

\n\n

It\u2019s a scenario that every mother can relate to. You\u2019re hungry, you\u2019re exhausted but\u00a0still<\/em> your kid wants to play. So, what do you do? If you\u2019re a chimp mum, play comes first. <\/p>

New research in\u00a0Current Biology<\/a><\/em>\u00a0shows that chimpanzee<\/a> mums prioritise tickling, chasing and playing \u2018airplane\u2019 with their youngsters, even when food is scarce.\u00a0<\/p>

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Researchers analysed around 4,000 play bouts among the Kanyawara community of chimpanzees living in Uganda\u2019s Kibale National Park. Credit: Dr. Kris Sabbi<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Playing vs foraging<\/h3>
Play is not very common in the wild, at least among adult animals. It might be fun, but it uses up a lot of energy, so the practice tends to be restricted to youngsters, where it plays a key role in the development of physical and social skills. <\/p>
Adult chimps are unusual because they play with each other and with their young. Until now, scientists assumed that when food supplies dwindled, the adults would ditch play in favour of foraging.\u00a0<\/p>
In a new study, a team of researchers from Tufts University<\/a> analysed around 4,000 adult play bouts recorded over a decade of observations of the Kanyawara community of chimpanzees living in Uganda\u2019s Kibale National Park<\/a>. They found that when food supplies are scarce, most adults stopped playing, but mothers continued to play with their young.\u00a0<\/p>
Kanyawara chimpanzees grooming, a social behaviour commonly observed among adults. Credit: Ronan Donovan<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Patterns of play<\/h3>
The chimps\u2019 social structure may help to explain why mothers continued to play with their young even when they’re hungry. Chimps have a very fluid social structure called fission-fusion, which means that a group of, say, 60 chimps may have smaller groups break away for a while and then merge back.\u00a0<\/p>
A female chimpanzee known as Outamba playing with her two-year-old infant, Gola. Credit: Ronan Donovan.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
When food supplies dwindle, chimp mothers tend to peel off and form either smaller groups or a solo unit with their offspring. This reduces the competition for food, but it means that the youngsters have fewer available playmates of their own age. \u201cThe moms become the primary playmates,\u201d says evolutionary biologist Kris Sabbi, who was part of the research team.\u00a0<\/p>
$\"Chimpanzees\"$
Young Ginger (3-4 months) climbing on her mother’s feet. Credit: Dr. Kris Sabbi<\/figcaption><\/figure>
With 13 species of resident primate, including over 1,000 chimpanzees, Kibale is the most primate-dense forest in the world. Researchers began studying the chimps there in 1987, and since then have made detailed recordings of almost every observable behaviour, including feeding, grooming, aggression and play.\u00a0<\/p>
Chimp play varies between males and females. Male play often involves a lot of rough-housing and wrestling, whilst female play tends to be more subdued. <\/p>
\u201cYou see them practice carrying things \u2013 a kind of preparation for future maternal behaviour,\u201d says Zarin Machanda, who led the study. <\/p>
\u201cMales often size each other up, and when they hit their second birthday, play style changes and can get rougher.\u201d <\/p>
Mums provide a safe space to play, so when this happens, juveniles and older infants often dump their peers and go back to playing with mum.<\/p>
$\"Chimpanzees\"$
A group of Kanyawara chimpanzees on the move. Credit: Ronan Donovan.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Maternal play in other species<\/h3>
Maternal play is rare amongst non-human animals. It has been observed in a few other species, including bottle-nosed dolphins and Yucatecan spider monkeys, which share key characteristics with the chimpanzees. <\/p>
They all have a fission-fusion style of social interaction, and they all spend more time growing up, relative to other animals.\u00a0They also have highly developed brains and live in structured groups, with very specific rules governing interactions between individuals. <\/p>
Longer childhoods extend the opportunity for play, giving youngsters more time, not just to build physical skills, but to learn the rules of social interaction.<\/p>
$\"Chimpanzee\"$
A chimpanzee from the Kanyawara community feeding in the canopy of a tree in Kibale National Park Uganda. Credit: Ronan Donovan.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\u201cIt\u2019s a lovely study,\u201d says chimp expert Catherine Hobaiter from St. Andrews University, who was not involved in the research. <\/p>
\u201cIt reinforces the importance of play for young apes as they grow, but it\u2019s also a good reminder that play is fun! I\u2019ve been lucky enough to watch chimpanzees playing with their little ones, and I\u2019m sure that they are enjoying it just as much as their children do!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>
\u201cI can also relate to the chimp moms and the energy cost of play when their kids are jumping on them, and they just want to take a nap,\u201d says Machanda. \u201cBut watching the chimps has made me a better parent.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>
$\"Chimpanzee\"$
Researchers found that female play tends to be more subdued than male play. Credit: Dr. Kris Sabbi<\/figcaption><\/figure>
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