"Robert Karl Stonjek"  wrote in
message news:bukvpn$164s$1{at}darwin.ediacara.org...
> Monkey morality
> Sharing might not be as nice as it's cracked up to be.
> 14 January 2004
> MICHAEL HOPKIN
>
> Have you ever given a friend part of your dessert just so
they will stop
> bugging you for some? You're not alone - chimpanzees and
monkeys share their
> food with others to avoid hassle too.
>
> The question of why animals give food to others is a
tricky one. Previous
> theories suggested that generous animals might benefit
from similar kindness
> at a later time.
>
> But the no-hassle approach offers a simpler explanation,
says Jeffrey
> Stevens, who carried out the study at the University of
Minnesota. Scrounger
> and donor are both acting in their best interests - the
beggar gets food and
> the other is left in peace.
>
> Stevens placed chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) or squirrel
monkeys (Saimiri
> boliviensis) in a cage and provided them with a meal of
fruit. In an
> adjoining cage was a hungry member of the same species.
>
> The primates rarely passed food through the cage to their
hungry mate next
> door. But if the partition was opened - giving the hungry
animal the chance
> to beg, steal or fight for food - sharing was common.
>
> It is analogous to a parent buying a child a toy just to
shut them up, says
> Stevens. "It's a selfish way to stop the constant
pestering," he says.
>
> Intriguingly, hungry chimps harassed their neighbour more
when the food was
> cut into small chunks. This could reflect the fact that a
beggar is more
> likely to get a handout if it doesn't seriously deplete
the donor's stash.
>
> Read the rest at Nature
> http://www.nature.com/nsu/040112/040112-4.html
>
> Posted by
> Robert Karl Stonjek.

Now this is something that makes real sense! It is the same
principle as that of the harried husband buying his
yammering wife a diamond bracelet, etc., just to shut her
up. :)       ...tonyC
---
þ RIMEGate(tm)/RGXPost V1.14 at BBSWORLD * Info{at}bbsworld.com

---
 * RIMEGate(tm)V10.2áÿ* RelayNet(tm) NNTP Gateway * MoonDog BBS
 * RgateImp.MoonDog.BBS at 1/21/04 8:48:50 PM