#Chimpanzee fight series

“This study is part of a series of several investigations linking in-group cooperation with out-group competition,” said study co-author Roman Wittig, who is the director of the Tai Chimpanzee Project. “It seems chimpanzees not only consider the sheer number in their sub-group when moving into battle, but they consider the presence of a trusted group member, who will support them in case of an attack,” said study senior author Catherine Crockford.Īccording to Samuni, the results suggest that the link between strong social relationships and costly collective acts is not uniquely human, but is shared with one of our closest living relatives – the chimpanzee. The experts pinpointed the factors that increased the likelihood of participation in an intergroup encounter, including when maternal kin and non-related social partners were present. The researchers found that both males and females participate in the battles. 'The Tai chimpanzees can teach us,' Roman Wittig points out, 'what social tools enable human's unique capacity for large-scale cooperation with non-kin.“We have been able to analyze almost 500 vocal and physical battles from the last 25 years with participation of at least one of the three habituated communities, some of which have caused severe injury or death,” explained study first author Liran Samuni. On the other hand, out-group competition increases in-group cohesion and, likely facilitated by the neurohormone oxytocin, reduces the likelihood of defection in battle.'ĭata from the Tai Chimpanzee Project, with four neighboruing communities observed on a daily basis, will be a key source for scientific investigations into the ultimate and proximate causes of group-level cooperation. 'We were able to show that out-group competition reduces chimpanzees' reproduction and their territory size. 'This study is part of a series of several investigations linking in-group cooperation with out-group competition,' explains Roman Wittig, director of the Tai Chimpanzee Project and senior author of the studies.

'These results suggest,' Liran Samuni continues, 'that the link between strong, enduring social relationships and costly collective acts is not uniquely human, but is present in one of our closest living relatives, the chimpanzee.' 'It seems chimpanzees not only consider the sheer number in their sub-group when moving into battle, but they consider the presence of a trusted group member, who will support them in case of an attack,' adds Catherine Crockford, senior author of the study. The study showed that males, as well as females participate in the battles and that three factors increased the likelihood of participation in the intergroup encounter when there were many individuals participating, when maternal kin joined and when non-kin social bond partners were present. 'We have been able to analyze almost 500 vocal and physical battles from the last 25 years with participation of at least one of the three habituated communities, some of which have caused severe injury or death,' says Liran Samuni, the first author of the study. Within the context of the Tai Chimpanzee Project researchers observed three chimpanzee communities in Tai National Park in Cote d'Ivoire documenting social relationships, territory range and intergroup encounters amongst others.

Chimpanzee fight