Chimpanzee culture is very political. In order to rise to the top of the hierarchy, or to stay on the good side of those at the top, a chimpanzee must know who to rub elbows with (so to speak) and when, and to what degree.
One of the ways a subordinate chimpanzee can show respect to a more dominant chimpanzee is by offering an elaborate greeting. These greetings occur when the two individuals meet after being apart from each other for some time. Most greetings involve some sort of vocalization (a breathy pant or a pant grunt, as you’ll see in the video) on the part of the subordinate chimpanzee. Generally, the louder the vocalization, the more tense the subordinate chimp feels.
Many of the chimp-to-chimp greetings here at CSNW are directed toward Burrito. Although he is not the most dominant chimpanzee here — he doesn’t quite have the skills, probably because he lacked a proper male chimpanzee role model growing up — his displays are pretty effective at intimidating the girls, so they try their best to appease him whenever they can. You might notice in the video that Burrito often turns his back or squeezes his eyes shut when he’s bring greeted. As much as he tries to show the girls who’s boss, the truth is he’s pretty nervous in social situations. Failing to graciously receive the other chimps’ greetings is probably one of the things holding him back from the dominant status he seems to desire.
very interesting … and thank you so for our continuing chimp education. poor burrito sure is uncomfortable in social situations; i wonder what the girls think of his way of handling their greetings. of course, what you said about burrito (not having a male role model) probably applies to the girls too. lovely creatures the chimpsters. hope they have a great thanksGday
thanks for that Elizabeth even though burrito isn’t quite there yet with his social skills it still always amazes me just how well rescued chimps do and how quickly many of their natural instincts come into play
Thanks for the info, very interesting. Although Burrito has a ways to go to be dominant, it’s nice to see the girls are not giving up on their greetings with him; they are so patient with each other.
My favorite part of volunteering at Chimp Eden was watching the interactions and politics in the groups. There was fighting but always forgiveness with a hug afterward. There were request from another member for alliance and there was avoidance when a member was in a bad mood. It was interesting how the greetings were different and more respectful to the alpha of the group than a lower ranking member and how one chimp in each group was the peacekeeper that tried to resolve conflicts. I doubt I would ever tire of watching their interactions. They are such incredibly intelligent animals and watching them was like watching a human family.
So fascinating! Thank you so much Elizabeth for continuing our education of the ways of chimps. What an incredible learning opportunity for us. I could watch them for ages. Poor Burrito guy, it’s hard! He’s really trying! How wonderful that he has a safe place in which to learn – the girls seem ever so patient, although they appear rather perplexed at times. 🙂
that was tremendously interesting! Thanks so much for the wonderful article and the video to illustrate – I learn more about the chimps every day. Keep them coming! -K