Baboons benefit from social relations

Robert Sayfarth's expert on monkey social interaction began his lecture on May 5 - the start of Darwin's year at the University of Delaware - with a true story recorded in 1961 about a child The baboon baboons live in herds with goats in an African village.

The baboon above knew all the relationships between the goats and so that at night it could bring a beeping baby from this warehouse straight to her mother in another warehouse.

'During the past several centuries we have domesticated dogs, no dogs are aware of the connection between mother and baby like that. The question is, where does this ability start? ' Said Seyfarth, a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.

Seyfarth brought 200 people to the fascinating world of plain Okavanga baboons in Botswana where he and Dorothy Cheney - Penn's research associate and professor were also his partners - conducting research. from 1992 to 2008.

Based on their research, Seyfarth said he and Cheney argue that the ability to identify baboon's social relations is the result of natural selection. This is a process in nature, following Darwin's theory of evolution, in which only the ones that are best adapted to their environment can survive and reproduce.

The baboons studied by Seyfarth and Cheney live in a herd of 80 to 90 heads. Males leave the flock born while females live with herds all their lives with close connections with other relatives.

Bitches are arranged in a stratified pattern with hierarchies maintained over the years. Although once a 'coup' action occurs, it usually fails. Seyfarth said: 'Families stick together. The rule here is to treat relatives well and follow high-ranking relatives. '

The baboon and the baby in Okavanga delta in Botswana.(Photo: University of Delaware)

In the experiments, Seyfarth and Cheney observed baboons named Sylvia, Champagne and Helen and recorded their language including no more than 18 sounds as well as their interaction with the family.

They found baboons use certain calls only in certain circumstances. Screams and screams of fear are only emitted from low hierarchies to high-order ones, while threatening growls are typical of high-ranking children for dwellers. lower position.

By recording different calls and reopening those sounds in situations of breaking rules, scientists have identified clear elements of identity, kinship and hierarchy. in the behavior of animals that baboons can string together.

Seyfarth said: 'Somehow baboons have seen the world in full complexity. It is an innate ability of baboons, it is done unconsciously and immediately '.

What social factors affect baboons? Seyfarth and Cheney measured their stress levels by analyzing gluccocorticoid stress hormone samples in their droppings. They found that pregnancy and attacks were the main stressors. 95% of baboons die due to being hunted, mainly by lions.

Besides, some high ranking males also act to kill offspring. Children can establish relationships with low-ranking females to help them look after their young children. Just like in humans, the loss of loved ones is a major cause of suffering.

According to Seyfarth, 'children react to stress by working with their closest relatives. They turn to their support network when losing loved ones. They expand and replace old relationships with new relationships. The baboons have close social ties that are better able to survive. '

This study is highlighted in the book 'Baboon Metaphysics: The Evolution of a Social Mind', published by the University of Chicago publisher in 2007. Support for the study also includes documents by the Provost Office, University. Agriculture and Natural Resources, Public Policy Program and Scientific Ethics provided. There is also the support of the following departments: Biological Sciences, English, Geography, Geography Science, Language Science and Awareness, and the Department of Philosophy.