Francesconi Martina, Galotti Alice, Ludmann Kerstin, Palagi Elisabetta
Unit of Ethology, Department of Biology, University of Pisa, 56126, Pisa, Italy.
Wilhelma Zoo, 70376, Stuttgart, Germany.
Primates. 2025 Apr 29. doi: 10.1007/s10329-025-01190-8.
Social play requires communicative abilities that start developing since the first phases of life. Due to their paedomorphic nature, bonobos (Pan paniscus) tend to maintain a playful attitude also in adulthood. Here, we present the case of an adult bonobo (Congo) that has never had any contact with conspecifics in the first 40 years of life. In 2023, Congo underwent an introduction protocol at the Wilhelma Zoo. Prior to the data collection period, he had spent 8 months within the group. The aim was evaluating Congo's playful social competence and his ability to react in a resilient way to others' stimuli. The play sessions involving Congo and two juveniles (CPSs) were compared with play sessions occurring in other adult-juvenile pairs (OPSs). Compared to OPSs, CPSs were shorter and more punctuated by grooming pauses that were totally absent during OPSs. Despite increased grooming, CPSs had a higher risk of escalation into overt aggression from Congo frequently screaming during the interaction. Unlike other adults, Congo never rapidly replicated the partners' playful facial displays, a phenomenon known as rapid facial mimicry. Despite Congo appearing to struggle to manage social play, he responded to other's invitations, thus indicating a presence of play motivation. Albeit being just a case report, our findings emphasize the importance of adult play as a mechanism for social integration, even in individuals entirely unfamiliar with its nuances. Although animals engage in play early in life, it is never too late to play the game and strengthen social bonds.
社交玩耍需要从生命的最初阶段就开始发展的沟通能力。倭黑猩猩（Pan paniscus）由于其幼态持续的特性，即使在成年后也倾向于保持玩耍的态度。在此，我们介绍一只成年倭黑猩猩（刚果）的案例，它在生命的前40年里从未与同类有过任何接触。2023年，刚果在威廉玛动物园经历了一个引入程序。在数据收集期之前，它已经在群体中生活了8个月。目的是评估刚果的玩耍社交能力以及它以适应力强的方式对他人刺激做出反应的能力。将涉及刚果和两只幼年倭黑猩猩（CPSs）的玩耍时段与其他成年 - 幼年配对（OPSs）的玩耍时段进行了比较。与OPSs相比，CPSs更短，并且更多地被梳理毛发的停顿打断，而OPSs期间则完全没有这种停顿。尽管梳理毛发的行为增加了，但CPSs有更高的升级为公然攻击的风险，因为刚果在互动过程中频繁尖叫。与其他成年倭黑猩猩不同，刚果从未迅速模仿伙伴玩耍时的面部表情，这种现象被称为快速面部模仿。尽管刚果似乎难以应对社交玩耍，但它对他人的邀请做出了回应，从而表明存在玩耍动机。尽管这只是一个案例报告，但我们的发现强调了成年玩耍作为社会融合机制的重要性，即使对于完全不熟悉其细微差别的个体也是如此。虽然动物在生命早期就开始玩耍，但玩游戏并加强社会联系永远不会太晚。
