Old is gold: Like humans, aging chimps prioritise important friendshipsMale friends groom one another, hunt and share meat together, collectively patrol the boundaries of their territories, and form alliances to attain and keep high rank in their groups, which in turn leads to more individual reproductive success. For example, a 40-year-old male had on average three times as many high-quality friendships and one-third as many asymmetric friendships as a 15-year-old. Finally, while the older chimps spent more time by themselves than the younger ones, when they did choose to mingle it was with important social partners. It had been theorized that, as people age, they focus on their oldest and most important friends rather than looking for new ones because of their approaching sense of mortality. Strong friendships might also help aging chimps continue to thrive despite a decline in their health and social status, they added.

Source: Bangkok Post October 22, 2020 18:11 UTC