Santino Stockpiled Stones To Throw

Santino Stockpiled Stones To Throw

The first animal other than a human to provide what researchers called unambiguous evidence of planning for a future mental state was Santino, a chimpanzee at Sweden's Furuvik Zoo. Beginning in 1997, keepers watched him calmly gather stones before visitors arrived and arrange them in caches of three to eight near his enclosure's edge. Hours later, after becoming agitated by the crowds, he hurled the stones during dominance displays, a pattern documented on more than 50 occasions. Researchers argued that his calm preparation for a later angry state showed an ability to anticipate both a future event and his own future behavior.

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Categories: AnimalsScience

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