Apes unwilling to gamble when odds are uncertain

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/11/29/apes_unwilling_to_gamble_when_odds_are_uncertain.html

Summary – This article investigates the similarity between apes and humans in their judgment when gambling. The study tested chimpanzees and bonobos by giving them a choice of two bowls, which could contain peanuts, a banana, or a cucumber slice. The chimpanzees were very hesitant when they were choosing because although they like peanuts and bananas, they dislike cucumbers and did not want to risk getting one. The researchers realized that this study shows that an animal’s foraging decision making skills in the wild are actually quite complex and that the animals have to be smart to make sure that the food they decide to pursue will pay off. This is what the article was about.

Opinion – I thought this article was kind of interesting actually. It shows that animals, especially monkeys, are actually quite smart because they have to go through an impressive decision making process to make sure that what they do is worthwhile. It’s also nice because it proves that monkeys are smart, and a lot of people think that they are stupid and make fun of them. I also think it opens up a lot of possibilities for future studies on what animals think, which is something I used to wonder about. This is my opinion on the article.