Adult-adult social play in captive chimpanzees: Is it indicative of positive animal welfare?

Yamanashi, Yumi; Nogami, Etsuko; Teramoto, Migaku; Morimura, Naruki; Hirata, Satoshi

doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2017.10.006

Cited by 37 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…We predicted that the rate of mutual grooming could have a negative relationship with HC levels and that the rate of social play would not show any relationship with HC levels. This is because our previous study (Yamanashi et al 2017) showed that the rate of mutual grooming implied an affiliative relationship with others, but social play did not imply such a relationship in the same population of chimpanzees. Finally, we hypothesized that a balance between giving and receiving grooming is also important (grooming balance hypothesis).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 77%

Social relationship and hair cortisol level in captive male chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

et al. 2017

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Understanding how social relationships affect long-term stress is important because stress has a profound impact on the welfare of animals and social relationships often exert a strong influence on their stress responses. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between social behaviors and long-term stress levels as assessed by hair cortisol (HC) concentration. The subjects were 11 chimpanzees living in an all-male group (divided into two sub-groups) in Kumamoto Sanctuary, Kyoto University, Japan. Behavioral data were collected between December 2014 and March 2015. The total observation time was 129 h. Hair samples were collected in late March and early April 2015, and cortisol was extracted from the hair and measured with enzyme immunoassay. The hair growth rate was estimated to be 1.33 ± 0.06 cm/month. The results revealed that there was a positive correlation between the rate of receiving aggression and HC levels. We also found a significant negative correlation between the balance between giving and receiving grooming (grooming balance index: GBI), which was calculated by subtracting the rate with which grooming is given from that with which it is received, and the rate of receiving aggression and between the GBI and HC levels. Thus, individuals receiving higher levels of aggression also tended to give grooming for relatively long periods compared to the time they were being groomed. In contrast, the rate of initiating aggression did not have a relationship with either HC levels or any measure of social grooming. We did not find social buffering effects, as there was no correlation between mutual social grooming and HC levels. These results show that not only aggressive interactions but also overall social situations in which animals do not have balanced relationships with others might result in the long-term elevation of cortisol levels in captive male chimpanzees.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 77%

Social relationship and hair cortisol level in captive male chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

et al. 2017

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“…The frequency of playful behavior typically declines as juveniles transition into adulthood, although adults may maintain playful relationships with juveniles (e.g., geladas, Theropithecus gelada : Mancini & Palagi, 2009 ; chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes : Palagi et al, 2004 ; Shimada & Sueur, 2014 ). Less frequently, adult-adult play can occur in some primate species in both sexual and non-sexual contexts ( Pellis & Iwaniuk, 1999 ; T. gelada : Mancini & Palagi, 2009 ; bonobos, P. paniscus : Palagi, 2006 ; ring-tailed lemurs, Lemur catta : Palagi, 2009 ; Pellis & Iwaniuk, 2000 ; P. troglodytes : Yamanashi et al, 2018 ) but may exhibit variable forms and functions in species with different social organization. In primates, e.g., Macaca spp., social organization exerts a pervasive influence on a variety of behaviors, including play ( Ciani et al, 2012 ; Fagen, 1981 ; Maestripieri, 2004 ; Thierry, 2007 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Playing it cool: Characterizing social play, bout termination, and candidate play signals of juvenile and infant Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana) 

et al. 2018

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Play behaviors and signals during playful interactions with juvenile conspecifics are important for both the social and cognitive development of young animals. The social organization of a species can also influence juvenile social play. We examined the relationships among play behaviors, candidate play signals, and play bout termination in Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana) during juvenile and infant social play to characterize the species play style. As Tibetan macaques are despotic and live in groups with strict linear dominance hierarchies and infrequent reconciliation, we predicted that play would be at risk of misinterpretation by both the individuals engaged in the play bout and by those watching, possibly leading to injury of the players. Animals living in such societies might need to frequently and clearly signal playful intent to play partners and other group members to avoid aggressive outcomes. We gathered video data on 21 individually-identified juvenile and infant macaques (one month to five years of age) from the Valley of the Wild Monkeys, Mt. Huangshan, China. We used all-occurrence sampling to record play behaviors and candidate play signals based on an ethogram. We predicted that play groups would use multiple candidate play signals in a variety of contexts and in association with the number of audience members in proximity to the players and play bout length. In the 283 playful interactions we scored, juvenile and infant macaques used multiple body and facial candidate play signals. Our data showed that juvenile and infant Tibetan macaques use a versatile repertoire of play behaviors and signals to sustain play.

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“…However, in captive settings, both Pan species benefit from a high predictability of future interactions (e.g., often all group members meet every day) and cannot engage in border patrols or group hunting. Nevertheless, both captive species show high proportions of mutual grooming [the present study: 9% in bonobos and 15% in chimpanzees; De Waal and Seres, 1997; Fedurek and Dunbar, 2009;Yamanashi et al, 2018]. This suggests that mutual grooming does not serve as time sav-Folia Primatol 2020;91:481-494 492 Allanic/Hayashi/Matsuzawa DOI: 10.1159/000506308 ings or to help individuals maintain strong cooperative bonds but other functions such as maximizing short-term benefits, as found in the present study and in Machanda et al [2014].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

Investigating the Function of Mutual Grooming in Captive Bonobos (Pan paniscus) and Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

Allanic

Hayashi

Matsuzawa

2020

IJFP

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Social grooming is often exchanged between individuals in many primate species. Rates of bidirectional (or simultaneous mutual) grooming vary across primate species, and its function is not yet fully understood. For example, mutual grooming is frequent in chimpanzees but rare in most primate species including wild bonobos. There are, however, no quantitative data available in captive bonobos. Therefore, through the direct comparison between captive bonobos and chimpanzees, this study aimed to (i) compare the frequency of mutual grooming between Pan species, (ii) explore and compare the function of mutual grooming, and (iii) discuss the rarity of this behavior in wild bonobo populations. We tested three hypotheses following the previous literature in wild chimpanzees. The social bonding hypothesis states that mutual grooming facilitates the maintenance of strong dyadic bonds. The immediate investment hypothesis states that it serves to signal willingness to invest in the interaction. The switching hypothesis states that mutual grooming serves no function but only occurs as an overlap to change the direction of unidirectional grooming. Our findings strongly supported the immediate investment hypothesis, but not the others. Grooming bouts that included mutual grooming were longer and more equitable than bouts without, illustrating that captive Pan species use mutual grooming to maximize their short-term benefits and increase the social value of their interaction. Captive bonobos performed mutual grooming in similar proportions and for similar functions as captive and wild chimpanzees do. This contrasts with wild bonobos who engage in this behavior only rarely. We suggest that the differences in patterns of mutual grooming between captive and wild bonobos might be explained by different degrees of kinship or by a potential intraspecies variation.

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Adult-adult social play in captive chimpanzees: Is it indicative of positive animal welfare?

Cited by 37 publications

References 51 publications

Social relationship and hair cortisol level in captive male chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

Social relationship and hair cortisol level in captive male chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

Playing it cool: Characterizing social play, bout termination, and candidate play signals of juvenile and infant Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana)

Investigating the Function of Mutual Grooming in Captive Bonobos (Pan paniscus) and Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

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Adult-adult social play in captive chimpanzees: Is it indicative of positive animal welfare?

Cited by 37 publications

References 51 publications

Social relationship and hair cortisol level in captive male chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

Social relationship and hair cortisol level in captive male chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

Playing it cool: Characterizing social play, bout termination, and candidate play signals of juvenile and infant Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana)&nbsp;

Investigating the Function of Mutual Grooming in Captive Bonobos (Pan paniscus) and Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

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Playing it cool: Characterizing social play, bout termination, and candidate play signals of juvenile and infant Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana)