How chimp wars taught us murder and cruelty aren’t just human traits

War and violence can often seem like uniquely human acts that have been present for most of our recent history. But do other animals wage “war”? In this excerpt from “The Beast Within: Human as Animals” (2024, Johns Hopkins University Press), scientific researcher Jessica Serra looks at the dark side of chimpanzees’ (Pan troglodytes) behavior to show that our closest living relatives also have a taste for warfare.


Among nonhuman mammals, hostility between rival groups is quite widespread, but it rarely leads to death. The frequent fighting between males is most often ­limited to intimidation be­hav­ior. While certainly frightful, it is rarely fatal. ­There is one exception, however: our closest cousins, the chimpanzees! Ethological studies have shown animals to be capable of forming complex ­political alliances. ­English primatologist Jane Goodall made a major discovery on this subject when she revealed an unsuspected dark side in chimpanzees.

FOLLOW US ON GOOGLE NEWS

Read original article here

Denial of responsibility! Todays Chronic is an automatic aggregator of the all world’s media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, all materials to their authors. If you are the owner of the content and do not want us to publish your materials, please contact us by email – todayschronic.com. The content will be deleted within 24 hours.

Leave a Comment