Studies show that just like humans, monkey spend less time getting around as they get older.
Have you ever noticed that grandparents tend to grow more distant as they get older? Most of them get cranky and prefers to stay indoors, watching TV or just sleep. Old people just tend to shut socializing and focuses more on being alone and resting. Though monkeys aren't really humans, but distant relative after being separated by 25 million years of evolution, these traits also apply to old monkeys.
Could this mean a deeper connection between us and monkeys?
According to Alexandra Freund of University of Zurich who worked on the study, this shows that humans are not that unique in the way we age socially but that there might be an evolutionary 'deep' root in this pattern.
The study focused on how age influenced the behavior of more than 100 Barbary macaque monkeys, with ages ranging from 4 to 29 (105 in human years). They are being observed on how they responded to physical objects such as novel toys and tubes baited with food; social interactions like grooming "friends" or fighting; and social information, like photos or calls of "friends" and "strangers."
The study shows that the monkeys' show less interest in toys when they became reproductive and that around 20 (monkey's retirement age), monkeys tend to have lesser social contacts and approaches--just like humans too.
Researchers also found out that this withdrawal wasn't driven by social tendency since younger monkeys still approach and groom elders. It also doesn't mean that older monkeys weren't interested with anything at all. They still respond to photos of other monkeys and hissed at others during fights. As a matter of fact, they're still aware of their environment.
This same behavior pattern also exists in humans. People tend to become more choosy with age in order to maximize the use of the time we have left with death in sight. Although monkeys have excellent memories, there is no evidence that they are aware of their nearing deaths.
Other reason is that perhaps old monkeys and humans just lose stamina with age and that monkeys are too tired to deal with negative relationships.
Now, researchers focus on another theory wherein aging monkeys may be less socially active because they tend to take fewer risks. A behavior that also exists in humans according to some researchers.
Whatever the reason may be, this only proves that the behavior between these two distant-related species are still quite the same.
Source: The New York Times
Share It To Your Friends!
Loading...