What’s more terrifying than a chimpanzee dominance display? A dominance display in slow motion.
The chimps have been crazy all day. Burrito can become very sexually aroused when the girls have their swellings, particularly when all three girls who cycle are in estrus at the same time. But because he was raised by humans (like most entertainment and research chimpanzees), he doesn’t exhibit normal sexual behavior. The result is a lot of tension, a lot of frustration, and a whole lot of chaos.
Jamie stepped out of the playroom during the afternoon to release some of that tension in the form of a dominance display. Displays are partly under conscious control and partly not. In this case, it seemed clear to me that Jamie climbed to the top of the platform with the intention of displaying. But at the same time she wasn’t fully in control of the display. We often liken displays in this way to sneezes. You know when you have to sneeze but you just can’t? And you can’t do anything else until the sensation either dissipates or culminates in a sneeze? That’s what displays can seem like for chimpanzees. Jamie stood on that platform for three minutes, rocking back and forth, softly pant hooting, and then repositioning and hooting some more, until she finally got everything out in a two-second display. When she was finished, she went about her business as if nothing had happened.
I think we’ll all be a lot happier in a few days when Burrito can start to focus on other things…
I have used the same sneeze analogy for the build up to displays for our chimps. I like you additional explanation of not being in control of the display, too!
Interesting how she stomps both feet on the wall once they make contact. I am sure if we saw this at normal speed we would never have seen that. And Burrito? What did he make of Jamie’s dominance performance? Maybe he was too interested in other things to even notice! : )
Burrito was in the playroom so I didn’t see his reaction, but I agree he was probably focused on Annie and Jody at the time…
Wow, hadn’t thought of that issue! Fascinating!!! TX for the info and video!!
Hi question is Burrito neutered ? and how should I put gentle and in that case there would be no libido right so why is he displaying in that case?
Hi Hillary: Burrito was given a vasectomy, which is standard practice for sterilizing male chimpanzees to avoid altering behavior.
k so he is sterilized so why the display if he has no libido?
In a vasectomy, only the vas deferens are severed. This leaves the testes intact, but prevents the sperm they produce from entering the ejaculate. So unlike neutering, in which the testes are removed, vasectomies do not affect the production of testosterone.
Interestingly, displaying is not simply a function of testosterone, or at least it is not limited to those possessing the testosterone levels of a typical male. All of the female chimps at CSNW display despite having what we assume are testosterone levels far lower than most male chimpanzees. In fact, two of the females that display frequently, Foxie and Missy, had complete hysterectomies, so they lack the ovaries that would produce some of a female’s testosterone.
Testosterone is also produced in the adrenal glands, so a gonadectomy doesn’t stop all testosterone production. But more importantly, dominance and territorial displaying are likely a function of many things besides hormones, including social and psychological factors.
I find this fascinating. It reminds me (and slaps my hand) that I should have pursued primatology after the usual anthropology courses… How we all have dreams that we let fall by the wayside…