Selvagem chimpanzees form ties with mothers in a similar way to us, reveals new study.
Affective ties between savage chimpanzees are similar to those observed in humans, according to a May 12 study at Nature Human Behaviour.
The investigation indicates that baby chimpanzees develop different attachment styles to their mothers, as with human children. But contrary to what we see in humans or orphaned chimpanzees created in captivity, the babies created in nature do not show signs of disorganized attachment.
Disorganized attachment in humans is usually associated with experiences of fear, trauma or aggression by the caregiver. Children who develop it tend to have contradictory behaviors – seek comfort, but also fear the caregiver – and face greater risk of emotional and social problems.
In captive chimpanzees, especially orphans, these unstable behaviors are also observed. In the wild environment, the reality is different.
Find comfort in the mother
For four years, an international team of biologists accompanied chimpanzees groups at Taï National Park on Ivory Coast. The group has particular characteristics: low levels of aggressiveness and infanticide, strong social cohesion, and orphaned male adoption behaviors – something unusual in other chimpanzees communities.
Researchers noted that chimpanzees babies develop mainly Two types of attachment: safe or insecure-evident.
Those who maintain safe attachment resort to mothers at stress and show greater confidence in environmental exploration; Those who have insecure-evident attachment are more independent and avoid looking for comfort. In neither case were signs of disorganized attachment.
“Taï chimpanzees communities differ from other populations because they have lower levels of aggressiveness and infanticide,” explains Electronore Rolland, a primacy and co -author of the study, cited by. “As a result, mothers tend to stay in the group alongside males. In addition, when young individuals lose their mothers, they are often adopted by adult males, unusual behavior, not observed in many other chimpanzees communities.”
“A behavior that most resembles human linking styles was the tendency to seek comfort in the mother In response to threatening situations, even in already weaned individuals, ”says Rolland:” This suggests that mothers play a crucial role in protecting their young and that the young continue to depend on them for their safety for several years, such as humans. “
The results “may reflect a common evolutionary heritage” and “show that humans and chimpanzees are not that different, after all. But they also make us think: have some modern human institutions or care practices have been distanced from what is best for child development?”, Asks the researcher of the renowned Max Planck Institute.
