Curr Biol. 2010 Apr 27;20(8):R349-51. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2010.02.010.
Chimpanzees' immediate responses to the death of a group-member have rarely been described. Exceptions include maternal care towards dead infants, and frenzied excitement and alarm following the sudden, traumatic deaths of older individuals [1-5]. Some wild chimpanzees die in their night nest [6], but the immediate effect this has on others is totally unknown. Here, with supporting video material, we describe the peaceful demise of an elderly female in the midst of her group. Group responses include pre-death care of the female, close inspection and testing for signs of life at the moment of death, male aggression towards the corpse, all-night attendance by the deceased's adult daughter, cleaning the corpse, and later avoidance of the place where death occurred. Without death-related symbols or rituals, chimpanzees show several behaviours that recall human responses to the death of a close relative.
黑猩猩对其群体成员死亡的即时反应鲜有描述。例外的情况包括对死去幼仔的母性照顾，以及在年老个体突然、创伤性死亡后出现的狂躁兴奋和警觉[1-5]。一些野生黑猩猩在夜间的巢中死亡[6]，但这对其他个体的直接影响尚完全未知。在这里，我们通过辅助视频材料，描述了一只老年雌性在其群体中平静地死亡的过程。群体的反应包括对雌性的死前照顾，在死亡瞬间对其进行近距离检查和生命迹象测试，雄性对尸体的攻击性，雌性已故成年女儿整夜守候，清理尸体，以及后来对死亡发生地点的回避。没有与死亡相关的符号或仪式，黑猩猩表现出了几种行为，让人联想到人类对近亲死亡的反应。
