Although Burrito isn’t the leader of the group here, the other chimps do offer him lots of submissive greetings – it’s probably their way of trying to keep him calm since he can be a bit of a Tasmanian devil. But Burrito’s social awkwardness leads him to respond to these greetings in an unusual way. When another chimp approaches him to offer a greeting, Burrito usually turns away and squeezes his eyes shut, as if to say, “I don’t see you. This isn’t happening.” It seems that Burrito’s strategy for handling an awkward social situation is to avoid, avoid, avoid.
The other day I was taking some photos of Burrito when Negra (right) entered the room and offered Burrito a kiss greeting. As soon as Negra approached, Burrito looked the other way and closed his eyes.
When he thinks the greeting is over, he’ll often pop an eye open to check if the other chimp is still there.
The other chimps take Burrito’s odd behavior in stride, and luckily for Burrito, these greetings don’t last long. Once the uncomfortable moment has passed, he’s back to his playful self.
He’s such a doll – and Negra, just love her …
I feel bad that these moments are uncomfortable for “B”. It is another reminder of the social unbalance that humans have caused these beings. I can only hope that someday he will overcome this awkward moment.
Burrito is so lovable. I hope that he will learn to accept love from the Lady Chimps.
Oh my adorable boy. Breaks my heart to see him turned to the wall with his eyes closed. SO happy he bounces right back to his “too cute for words” self! These are excellent photos as always……
It is funny (in a peculiar way) that the other chimps offer “greetings” even though they have never lived in a hierarchy. Is a “greeting” instinctual or learned? Is Burrito uncomfortable with a greeting because he is uncertain as to why the greeting is offered or is it because he doesn’t feel worthy of the position to be the recipient of a greeting? Knowing that Jamie is the “Boss” and Negra is the Queen, do these 2 ladies also receive greetings from the chimps or do all chimps offer greetings to each other on an equal basis at CSNW because they are all equal more or less? Sorry for all the questions!
Hi Kathleen – My guess is that Burrito behaves the way he does because he’s just unsure of the proper protocol in most social situations. Also, he’s generally a little intimidated by the other chimps.
As a very loose rule, greetings tend to be directed toward more dominant chimps by their less dominant peers. But this is not always the case. Interestingly, Jamie, as the alpha, doesn’t seem to receive more greetings than anyone else. Based just on casual observation, I would say that Burrito is the most frequent recipient of greetings by far.
Thank you Elizabeth. It is all so very interesting. Interesting to know Mr. B receives the most greetings. These photos are so touching. I just love the look on Negra’s face (her eyes and brows) as she glances towards the camera. Almost as if she is saying “I tried”. And the look in Burrito’s eyes after Negra leaves, he looks almost distant until the last photo where he looks you right in the eye and appears to be feeling his good old self again. That little wooden toy sure seems to give him comfort. I am happy he has his toys to see him through those award and difficult moments. We all need a security blanket at times. ; )
poor Burrito….
Poor Burito, maybe he feels odd being the only boy.
That’s so sad. Could it be he’s shy.