Immediate and Delayed Benefits of Play Behaviour: New Evidence from Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

Abstract

Evidence for the anticipation of competition at feeding time has been previously documented in both Pan species. Chimpanzees seem to cope with competitive tendency through behavioural mechanisms of tension reduction, and grooming is certainly one of these. Social play and grooming are often matched because they bring animals into close physical contact for long periods, and they have an important role in social cohesion. Our goal was to investigate the occurrence of play behaviour during the pre-feeding period, before a basic maintenance activity is about to take place, in the chimpanzee colony housed in the ZooParc de Beauval (St Aignan sur Cher, France). The group was composed of 10 adults and nine immature individuals. By scan animal sampling (344 h of observation), we recorded play and grooming interactions in all age-class combinations during four different periods (pre-feeding, feeding, post-feeding, control). We found peak levels of grooming interactions among adults during the pre-feeding time. A peak frequency at the pre-feeding time was also found in social play between adults and unrelated immature subjects. This finding suggests that during high tension periods, grooming and play might share similar functions in conflict management. Like grooming, play might have an important role to limit aggression and increase tolerance around food (immediate benefits). Immature animals showed a higher frequency of play in the pre-feeding than in any other condition (feeding, post-feeding, and control). During high excitement periods social play probably represents a safe mechanism for immature subjects to test their personal abilities (self-assessment), the strength/weakness of playmates, and the degree of cooperation/competition with them (social-assessment). In the light of this new evidence, we can assert that play behaviour is far from being a purposeless activity, at least in the chimpanzee colony under study.Correspondence: E. Palagi,

Partner preferences and asymmetries in social play among domestic dog, Canis lupus familiaris, littermates

“…Animals may play to learn valuable social skills (Biben 1998) or to strengthen (Bekoff 1984) or test social bonds (Zahavi 1977;Pozis-Francois et al 2004), as training for cognitive (Bekoff 1984;Spinka et al 2001) or motor development (Byers 1998), to develop the emotional flexibility needed for dealing with unexpected situations (Spinka et al 2001) or as a way to assess their own capabilities relative to conspecifics (Thompson 1998;Smith et al 1999;Palagi et al 2004). Although all of these hypotheses seem reasonable, it is extremely difficult to determine the reproductive benefits of social play.…”

Animal Welfare: Could Adult Play be a False Friend?

“…Our study, along with an abundant literature on a variety of primate species (Palagi et al, 2004), suggests that adult social play may be involved in tension reduction and creation of new bonds. But it most often (apart from maybe bonobos and geladas: Palagi et al, 2004) relates to stressful situations, social disturbance or instability (as shown in horses).…”

“…Of course this contradicts the common view that play is suppressed by stress (Palagi et al, 2004) and is indicative of good welfare. Since the early hypotheses of Newberry and Wood-Gush (1988) and others, and in agreement with the statement that play is indicative of "having fun" (Spinka et al,p.…”

“…While more and more studies suggest a complex relationship between play behavior and stress (Biben & Champoux, 1999;Palagi et al, 2004;Pellis & Pellis, 2009) and wonder whether stressful situations invariably diminish play or whether they can actually enhance play (Pellis & Pellis, 2009), the proper investigation of this question is blocked by the assertion that the definitions of play assume its association with a positive context. However while "the commonly held view is that play is suppressed by stress," recent studies indicate that it can also regulate stress (Palagi et al, 2004, p. 960).…”

The Socio-religious Brain: A Developmental Model

“…Social play in particular may aid in learning the boundaries of social relationships in a safe environment where there are relatively few penalties for transgressions (Bekoff 2001). In chimpanzees, play rates become elevated in captive populations just before feeding time (Palagi et al 2004), and therefore may also function in reducing tension and preventing conflict escalation.…”