Gorilla play and theory of mind

The first observation of captive gorilla play incorporating an item and a partner - an ability previously observed only in humans and bonobos:



Richard Byrne and Joanne Tanner of the University of St Andrews report observations of this 'triadic' play involving complexities such as playful competition, solicitation of other playmates by gaze and gesture signalling and the self-handicapping by older gorillas when playing with a juvenile. The games were not influenced by human participation but rather were novelties naturally invented by the gorillas.

This is interesting because its another example of a phenomenon once thought to be uniquely human, and it helps us indirectly obtain knowledge about animal minds. In this case, its most likely, as argued by the researchers, a good demonstration of theory of mind, as its difficult to participate in a complex mutual interaction such as this without understanding what your partner intends.

This kind of research can hopefully also help facilitate better-informed ethical treatment of non-human animals in captive conditions.

Byrne, R.W. and Tanner, J.W. (2010), 'Triadic and collaborative play by gorillas in social games with objects', Animal Cognition