Do you think that knowing about aggression between groups of chimpan.pdf
- 1. Do you think that knowing about aggression between groups of chimpanzees is useful in understanding conflicts between human societies? Why or why not? Solution In many primates where the range is small , contact with one or more groups of the same species is a very common feature. However the nature of these encounters varies from species to species. Primate groups remain permanently in a specific locality which is described as there home range. Members of the same group exist in this range however it is not necessary that the individuals of the group should remain in the same range but may change over to other ranges and join a new community. This home range consists of a central core area with highest concentration of the predictable resources and represent the region where the group is more likely to be found.It also represents the territory of the group which is defended against intrusion. There may be overlapping of the home range between the groups but not the core area. Territoriality is a behavior exhibited by many primates to protect their home range. This is seen extensively where the home ranges are small and permits patrolling and protection of the territory. Biological continuum refers to the fact that the organisms are related through common ancestry and the behavioral traits seen in one organisms are seen in others also but in varying degrees. The man is considered to be a highly evolved social organism with a huge brain and thinking capacity. He is more related to chimpanzees and the main difference between us and the other primates is that the difference in behavior is merely quantitative and not qualitative. Interactions between groups of chimpanzees include aggression, display chasing and sometimes violent fighters also. Male chimpanzees are highly intolerable to unfamiliar chimpanzees, specially males and aggressively defend their territories and resources. Lethal aggression is a common feature among the chimpanzees. It is common in groups of male chimpanzees which do patrolling around their territory. Sometimes they are also accompanied by one or two females. During this patrolling, they exhibit silent movement, stop frequently, sniff around and climb tall trees and sit on them for hours together to survey the area. They appear to be tense during such situations and any sudden sound causes them to exhibit nervous behavior like touching each other for reassurance or embrace each other. When they encounter members of another community, They exhibit some form of aggression till the other group retreats. Chimpanzees are also known to exhibit cruelty, and aggression combined with compassion, tenderness and altruism which is comparable to human behavior, but
- 2. the main difference is that chimpanzees are not aware of the suffering they inflict on others while humans do. Thus, the behavior of chimpanzees can be more related to human behavior, but the difference lies in quantitative than qualitative