For instance, baby chimpanzees enjoy free-falling from trees. Given the many similarities between humans and chimpanzees, you might assume both species are equally prone to risky behavior at the same ages. But while humans often take more risks during their teenage years, chimpanzees show that tendency as infants — from birth to about five years, according to Popular Science.
After studying video footage of 119 wild chimpanzees, the research team found that risky behavior peaks during childhood and then declines as the animals mature. The scientists documented that, compared with adults, infants engaged in risky actions three times as often, teenagers 2.5 times as often, and young adults 2.1 times as often.
Thus, one of the main conclusions of the study is that baby chimpanzees are more inclined to take risks than teenagers and young adults. “This is not observed in humans,” said Lauren Sarringhaus, the lead author of the study.
Her team also found that the chimpanzees’ risk-taking did not vary by sex or by height in the trees. In other words, male and female infants were equally likely to attempt risky stunts at any height.
One of the most common reckless behaviors among young chimpanzees was free-falling: infants intentionally dropped from a branch or jumped to another without support. That behavior carries a high risk of injury.
How Do Risk-Taking Behaviors of Young Chimps Differ from Humans?
Studying risky physical behavior in humans is harder than studying it in chimpanzees. Still, previous research based on observations or surveys has shown that such daring actions typically do not carry over into adulthood in humans.
The new study highlighted another difference in how the two species approach risk. While mother chimpanzees can curb risky behavior in their offspring as long as the mothers are physically present, human parents tend to supervise their children for a much longer period. The study authors suggest that if humans did not provide prolonged supervision, risky behavior in humans would appear earlier rather than being postponed until adolescence.
Previous research shows play helps chimpanzees not only develop motor skills but also learn the consequences of risky behavior.
As biologists explained, baby chimpanzees often engage in risky play to acquire the physical skills and confidence necessary for life in the trees. After all, an adult animal’s self-awareness largely depends on the experiences gained in early childhood.
The results of the study were published in the journal iScience.
