Chimpanzee mother seen applying an insect to a wound on her son

Date:
February 7, 2022
Source:
Cell Press
Summary:
Researchers have observed chimpanzees in Gabon, West Africa applying
insects to their wounds and the wounds of others. Scientists
describe this wound-tending behavior and argue that it is evidence
that chimpanzees have the capacity for prosocial behaviors that
have been linked with empathy in humans.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
For the first time, researchers observed chimpanzees in Gabon, West
Africa applying insects to their wounds and the wounds of others. In a
study published February 7 in the journal Current Biology, scientists
describe this wound- tending behavior and argue that it is evidence
that chimpanzees have the capacity for prosocial behaviors that have
been linked with empathy in humans.


==========================================================================
In November 2019, Alessandra Mascaro (@alessandra_masc), a volunteer
at the Ozouga Chimpanzee Project, observed a chimpanzee named Suzee
inspecting a wound on the foot of her adolescent son, Sia, catching an
insect out of the air, putting it into her mouth, and then applying it
onto the wound. Researchers of the Ozouga Chimpanzee Project had been
studying this group of chimpanzees in Loango National Park for 7 years
but hadn't witnessed behavior like this before. Mascaro took a video of
the mother and son and showed it to her supervisors, Tobias Deschner,
a primatologist with the project, and Simone Pika (@Evol_of_Com),
a cognitive biologist at Osnabru"ck University (@UniOsnabru"ck).

"In the video, you can see that Suzee is first looking at the foot of her
son, and then it's as if she is thinking, 'What could I do?' and then
she looks up, sees the insect, and catches it for her son,'" Mascaro
says. The Ozouga team started to monitor the chimpanzees for this type
of wound-tending behavior, and over the next 15 months documented 76
cases of the group applying insects to wounds on themselves and others.

This wasn't the first time that nonhuman animals had been observed self- medicating. Researchers have reported that bears, elephants, and bees
do it too. What is remarkable is that so far, insect applications have
never been observed and that the chimps not only treat their own, but
also the wounds of others.

Pika argues that the act of applying an insect to another's wounds
is a clear example of prosocial behavior -- behavior that acts in the
best interests of others, rather than just oneself. "This is, for me, especially breathtaking because so many people doubt prosocial abilities
in other animals," she says.

"Suddenly we have a species where we really see individuals caring
for others." The research team doesn't know exactly which insects the chimpanzees are using or what their medicinal properties are. "Humans
use many species of insect as remedies against sickness -- there have
been studies showing that insects can have antibiotic, antiviral, and anthelmintic functions," says Pika. The researchers have also theorized
that the insects might have soothing properties that could provide
pain relief.

The Ozouga team now aims to identify the insects being used
by the chimpanzees and to document who is applying insects to
whom. "Studying great apes in their natural environments is
crucial to shed light on our own cognitive evolution," says
Deschner. "We need to still put much more effort into studying
and protecting them and also protecting their natural habitats." ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Cell_Press. Note: Content may be
edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Alessandra Mascaro, Lara M. Southern, Tobias Deschner, Simone Pika.

Application of insects to wounds of self and others by
chimpanzees in the wild. Current Biology, 2022; 32 (3): R112 DOI:
10.1016/j.cub.2021.12.045 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220207112645.htm

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