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Thursday, October 28, 2010

Photo: Like Humans, Chimp Males Cooperate With Kin and Non-Kin Alike


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A trio of male chimpanzees engage in a grooming session in Kibale National Park, Uganda.

A new DNA study found that male chimps prefer to team up with their maternal brothers, but they can work equally well with unrelated or distantly related males in their community. The findings support the notion that complex cooperation is not unique to humans.

Photograph by John Mitani, courtesy PNAS