Savanna Chimps Exhibit Human-Like Sharing Behavior

Resource:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111201094819.htm

Summary:
The act of sharing food has been one of the most important characteristics of human behavior. Jill Pruetz of Iowa State University and researchers witnessed over 40 acts of Fongoli chimpanzees sharing food and hunting tools with other chimpanzees. Chimps share meet but in this case, it was unusual to see them sharing other materials. Of these 41 times, males transferred food and hunting tools to the females 27 times, which is believed to be exchanged for mating. Researchers have seen an increase in this activity, which they believe is do to the Fongoli chimpanzees high population. These findings of the Fongoli chimpanzee’s strange sharing behavior may be due to the effects of living in a very dry, hot environment, they are the only chimpanzees that occupy the savanna environment. The researchers feel that these findings can lead to how the first humans shared resources with one another.

Critique:
I think this finding is very interesting. I knew that other animals shared materials but I did not really know what or why they did so. It’s cool to see how much the human race and chimpanzees have in common.

Impact:
These findings will help researchers better understand how the earliest humans shared resources. This is because these chimpanzees are the first of their kind to settle in the savanna environment, just like the first humans on Earth.