Discoveries

April 04, 2024

All Work, All Play

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Research has shown that play is vital for the young chimpanzee’s physical and psychological development. Great apes, such as gorillas and bonobos, engage in some form of play, too, such as tickling, joking and chasing each other.

But during periods of food scarcity, chimps usually tone down their playful shenanigans to conserve energy, New Scientist reported.

That doesn’t seem to deter mamas, however, according to a new study.

For around a decade, researcher Zarin Machanda and her team monitored a community of about 60 eastern chimpanzees at the Kibale National Park in Uganda.

Throughout periods of ample food supply, the team documented play occurring on 97 percent of observation days at least once.

This behavior dropped to 38 percent when food became difficult to find, but chimp mothers kept playing with little ones at even higher rates during these difficult periods.

Researchers were surprised at the findings because food is very important for females to make up for the high energy costs of reproduction.

“The fact that moms are continuing to play with their babies at a cost to themselves indicates how important it is for their development,” said Machanda. “It’s almost like the hidden cost of motherhood.”

This story originally appeared in the April 04, 2024 newsletter, Putin-ification.