12月29日，發(fā)表在《當(dāng)代生物學(xué)》（Current Biology）雜志上的一項(xiàng)研究表明,，當(dāng)危險(xiǎn)臨近例如一條蛇出現(xiàn)時(shí),，黑猩猩能夠識(shí)別出團(tuán)隊(duì)里哪些成員處于不知情狀態(tài)，然后馬上給它們發(fā)出警告,，讓其小心提防,。
迄今為止,，科學(xué)家認(rèn)為只有人類才能知道團(tuán)隊(duì)里有些人“不了解狀況”，這是屬于人類的獨(dú)有特征,。而科學(xué)家發(fā)現(xiàn)當(dāng)有蛇出現(xiàn)時(shí),，野生黑猩猩更有可能對(duì)新成員發(fā)出“小心提防”的警報(bào)信號(hào)，他們認(rèn)為新成員可能不像群里的“老手”一樣知道面臨的危險(xiǎn),。這一發(fā)現(xiàn)挑戰(zhàn)了上述人類“自以為是”的看法,。
科學(xué)家把一條假蛇放在烏干達(dá)黑猩猩經(jīng)過的路上，看它們的反應(yīng),。當(dāng)一個(gè)黑猩猩發(fā)現(xiàn)了一條蛇,，它馬上發(fā)出“呼呼”的警告聲，讓組里的其他成員都可以聽到,。當(dāng)其他成員趕到現(xiàn)場(chǎng)時(shí),，它們重復(fù)警告以確保新來的人知道這里有一條蛇。如果組里的成員都意識(shí)到了危險(xiǎn),，它們就不太可能重復(fù)這種警告了,。
“黑猩猩很重視別的成員發(fā)過來的信息。” 蘇格蘭圣安德魯斯大學(xué)的研究員凱瑟琳,？克羅克福德博士說道,。“它們自愿給那些處在危險(xiǎn)中但是豪不知情的組員發(fā)出警報(bào)信號(hào)，而不太可能給那些已經(jīng)知道危險(xiǎn)的人發(fā)出警報(bào),。”
克羅克福德博士說：“當(dāng)個(gè)人開始因?yàn)橥ㄖ獎(jiǎng)e人和讓他們知道情況而發(fā)出聲音時(shí)，就意味著到了演變過程的關(guān)鍵階段,。”
這項(xiàng)研究提出了更多黑猩猩啟動(dòng)復(fù)雜通信所需的因素,，它們?cè)诤谛尚缮砩媳憩F(xiàn)得非常明顯，也比以前科學(xué)家疑似的要多,。
克羅克福德博士補(bǔ)充說：“野生黑猩猩解決這些問題的優(yōu)勢(shì)是,，在一個(gè)生態(tài)相關(guān)的背景里，它們只是簡(jiǎn)單地做一件它們一直都在做的事情,，并且這些事情都是相關(guān)的,。”（生物谷Bioon.com）
doi:10.1016/j.cub.2011.11.053
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Wild Chimpanzees Inform Ignorant Group Members of Danger
Catherine Crockford, Roman M. Wittig, Roger Mundry, Klaus Zuberbühler
The ability to recognize other individuals' mental states—their knowledge and beliefs, for example—is a fundamental part of human cognition and may be unique to our species. Tests of a “theory of mind” in animals have yielded conflicting results and . Some nonhuman primates can read others' intentions and know what others see, but they may not understand that, in others, perception can lead to knowledge and. Using an alarm-call-based field experiment, we show that chimpanzees were more likely to alarm call in response to a snake in the presence of unaware group members than in the presence of aware group members, suggesting that they recognize knowledge and ignorance in others. We monitored the behavior of 33 individuals to a model viper placed on their projected travel path. Alarm calls were significantly more common if the caller was with group members who had either not seen the snake or had not been present when alarm calls were emitted. Other factors, such as own arousal, perceived risk, or risk to receivers, did not significantly explain the likelihood of calling, although they did affect the call rates. Our results suggest that chimpanzees monitor the information available to other chimpanzees and control vocal production to selectively inform them.
