Friday, January 25, 2019

Chimps are better hunters than humans

Chimp males form themselves into hunting parties of up to eight animals and trap jungle mammals with incredible efficiency. Hunting expeditions are generally successful and catch up to three Colobus monkeys, to the point that chimps are exterminating them.  There are also war parties organized to attack razzia-like neighboring groups, in order to increase the territory and to kidnap young females. Human ancestors were trapped in the dry side of the large Rift Valley and developed bipedal mobility and invented butchering instruments. I always imagined chimps to be like dwarves, but they measure 1.20 to 1.50 meters, weighting 40 - 60 kg, which is comparable to humans. I look at the people in the street, and there are many of the 1.30 - 1.60 m group. Chimps are stronger than three weightlifters together. The humans sharing the same rainforest environment became pygmies, not much more intelligent than the chimps: a comparative study would be interesting. Do pygmies also wage war?

 When pondering the goals and methods of human activities, we should try to think their equivalent in chimps, which being simpler and more obvious, offering better insights. For example, what triggers the formation of chimp war parties? When and how the group decides that the time has come to raid the neighbors?  

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