Food for friendship: Bonobos share with strangers in exchange for company

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-01/plos-fff122812.php

Public release date: 2-Jan-2013
Contact: Jyoti Madhusoodanan
Public Library of Science
Bonobos share food, will forgo their own meals for the company of strangers

Bonobos voluntarily share food and will even forego their own meals for a stranger, but only if the recipient offers them social interaction, according to research published January 2 by Jingzhi Tan and Brian Hare of Duke University.

In a series of experiments, the researchers found that bonobos would voluntarily forego their food and offer it to a stranger in exchange for social interaction. The authors found that the bonobos' behavior was at least partially driven by unselfish motivations, since the animals helped strangers acquire food that was out of reach even when no social interaction was possible as a result of helping them. However, their generosity had its limits: Animals would not share food in their possession if no social interaction was possible.

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