Death of mother prompts adolescent chimps to look after their siblings

Rachna Reddy

By Michael Marshall

Adolescent chimpanzees adopt their younger siblings if their mothers die. The older siblings keep a close watch on the youngsters, protect them from threats, and give them lots of comforting snuggles.

The finding adds to the evidence that chimpanzees can understand when others are suffering, and to some extent can help them. In line with this, a second study shows that chimpanzees have a strong emotional response when they see that another chimp, or a familiar human, is injured.

“After individuals lose their mothers, …