![]() The groomer (left) runs his fingers through the fur of the recipient (right). When Jane used to observe chimpanzees, she has seen how a mother would stroke her sleeping baby while looking at it and kissing it. A mother who grooms her baby and plays with it, develops a strong bond with it. Later on, she allows more and more chimpanzees near her baby, although she will remain vigilant. At first, mummy keeps her young away from the other chimpanzees to protect it. For chimpanzees, grooming is an important activity for making friends. The older the young chimpanzee gets, the more often and the more thoroughly she grooms it. Mummy chimpanzee also makes sure that her baby stays clean. Later on, it will become a bit more daring and sit up straight. At first, it will lie down with its head close to mummy’s neck or shoulders, firmly holding on with its hands and feet wherever possible. When the young chimpanzee (from 6 months onwards) has grown a bit more, the time has come to travel on its mother’s back. Fortunately, mummy lends a helping hand until the baby knows how to do this. Later on, the baby clings itself to its mother’s belly, but that is not so easy. When the little one gets a bit older, its mother will not support it so much anymore and it has to find a comfy spot on its mother on its own. ![]() This rocking is very relaxing and makes the baby fall asleep. When a young chimpanzee is over a year old, it may even ask to be tickled! To do this, it stretches his arms backwards, over the shoulders, and sticks its tummy forward.Ī newborn chimpanzee (younger than 3 months) is carried by its mother all the time. ![]() If two friends keep smiling and showing a play face, the party can go on for a very long time.ĭid you know that this play face and laughter often first appears when a chimpanzee is only 2 to 3 months old, when they get tickled as a baby by the mother? They are especially sensitive under the arms, on the belly and in their sides. It sounds like laughter! By putting on their play face, chimpanzees shows that they want to play or that they certainly don’t feel like stopping playing yet. This sound is almost exclusively made when they are playing. They produce soft, short panting sounds (hee-hee-hee). This is their play face which means they are having fun. They let their mouths hang wide open, without showing the teeth. To clearly see the difference between fighting and playing, Jane observed their faces. Who doesn’t like to play? Even the youngest chimpanzees can’t resist a game! But how could Jane distinguish between playing and fighting? Chimpanzees kick and hit each other, head-butt and throw things, both during play and fight. On its head, it grows sideways rather than backwards, as it does in the chimpanzee.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |