Chimpanzee warns unsuspecting group members of danger

Chimpanzee warns unsuspecting group members of danger
According to a report published online in Current Biology, chimps are more likely to make an alarm call signalling the presence of a snake when others in the group are unaware of the danger they face. The findings suggest chimpanzees keep track of the information available to other chimps and base the messages they convey on that understanding

Before Sounding an Alarm, Chimps Consider Information Available to Their Audience
Wild chimpanzees monitor the information available to other chimpanzees and inform their ignorant group members of danger.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111229131234.htm

Reference
Wild Chimpanzees Inform Ignorant Group Members of Danger.
Current Biology, December 29, 2011 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2011.11.053
http://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(11)01336-4

Highlights
•Chimpanzees understand others' perceptual states, but do they understand knowledge?
•In a field experiment, subjects alarm called more with unaware than with aware others
•Calling was poorly explained by likely confounds, such as arousal or perceived risk
•We conclude that chimpanzees take receivers' state of knowledge into account

Summary
The ability to recognize other individuals' mental statestheir knowledge and beliefs, for exampleis a fundamental part of human cognition and may be unique to our species. Tests of a theory of mind in animals have yielded conflicting results [1,2,3]. Some nonhuman primates can read others' intentions and know what others see, but they may not understand that, in others, perception can lead to knowledge [1,2,3]. Using an alarm-call-based field experiment, we show that chimpanzees were more likely to alarm call in response to a snake in the presence of unaware group members than in the presence of aware group members, suggesting that they recognize knowledge and ignorance in others. We monitored the behavior of 33 individuals to a model viper placed on their projected travel path. Alarm calls were significantly more common if the caller was with group members who had either not seen the snake or had not been present when alarm calls were emitted. Other factors, such as own arousal, perceived risk, or risk to receivers, did not significantly explain the likelihood of calling, although they did affect the call rates. Our results suggest that chimpanzees monitor the information available to other chimpanzees and control vocal production to selectively inform them.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• Wild
• Chimpanzees
• Inform
• Ignorant
• Group
• Members
• Danger

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