8.25.2008

Monkeys Experience the Joy of Giving


"Would you like some?"
Why thank you!

Anita Eats Papaya
Originally uploaded by nebarnix.


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Monkeys can experience the joy of giving in much the same way as humans do, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.
Tests in capuchin monkeys showed the animals consistently chose to share food with another monkey if given the option, suggesting they are capable of empathy, the team at the Yerkes Research Center at Emory University in Atlanta found.

"They seem to care for the welfare of those they know," Frans de Waal, director of the Living Links Center at Yerkes, said in a statement.
His team tested eight female brown capuchin monkeys in pairs. They could choose a token that gave only themselves a treat or an option that rewarded both of them, called a prosocial option.

Capuchin Family Siesta
Originally uploaded by atdahl.

"The fact the capuchins predominantly selected the prosocial option must mean seeing another monkey receive food is satisfying or rewarding for them," said de Waal.
"Capuchin monkeys spontaneously share food in both nature and captivity, and commonly sit next to each other while eating," the researchers wrote.
(Reporting by Maggie Fox, editing by Alan Elsner)
Read the whole article here!

Obligatory family shot
Originally uploaded by Thomas Milne.



macaco prego / Cebus apella / Capuchin monkey
Originally uploaded by Wagner Machado Carlos Lemes.


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