Chimpanzees seem to know what's on other chimps' minds
Chimpanzees moving through the forest take into account other chimps' ignorance or knowledge of a threat when they raise the alarm. The apes were more likely to make warning calls when they spotted a venomous snake if others in their troop had not seen the danger, researchers found. As chimps in the know arrived at the scene, they passed the warning on to others who lagged behind but were still within earshot.
Video footage of wild chimps foraging in Uganda's Budongo forest show apes at the front of their groups jumping with surprise on spotting a model snake lying camouflaged in the undergrowth. When the chimps regained their composure, they called out with repeated "hoos" to alert those behind them that a threat lay ahead. They made calls less often when other chimps already knew of the danger. The behaviour suggests the animals knew what their fellow apes knew and made decisions over what warnings to give based on the information.
"Lots of animals give alarm calls and are more likely to do so if there's an audience, but these chimps are more likely to call if the audience doesn't know about the danger. It's as if they're picking up on differences in ignorance and knowledge in others," said Dr Catherine Crockford, who studies ape communication and social interaction at the University of St Andrews.
Smarter and more sociable than some PhDs I know...
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