Hurricane Maria passed through Puerto Rico in 2017, causing rhesus monkeys living on the island of Cayo Santiago Become more tolerant, even more tolerant of previous competitors, And seek new social relations, which surprised a group of scientists studying them.
A study published today in “Contemporary Biology” shows that natural disasters The ability to unite this monkey, Just like what happens to humans in this situation.
The hurricane caused more than 3,000 deaths, and macaques established new relationships instead of strengthening existing ones, “They tend to take the least resistance way to establish new connections”According to the lead author of the study, Camille Testard of the University of Pennsylvania.
The expert said that these results “coincident with a strategy of maximizing tolerance and support” and benefit from broader social integration, rather than focusing on strengthening relationships with key partners.
This increases tolerance for other people including strangers, Is also observed in humans The expert recalled that after a catastrophic event that widely affected the entire population.
When Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, a group of scientists was there to study rhesus monkeys. They were called social animals, but They also live in a highly competitive society They can treat the other members of the group very positively.
After the devastating storm, scientists They thought they noticed a change in the monkey’s attitude, He seems to be more tolerant of other people, including previous competitors, which prompted them to delve into the social networks in the organization.
The team was surprised to find that the strategy change of the macaques is very real, because they have already formed. New social connections after the disasterThis has led to the tolerance of the entire society.
Researchers hope that monkeys can use their closest allies to deal with the ecological damage caused by Maria, and hope to do so. Invest in their existing relationshipAs explained by another author of Laurent Brent.
Instead, macaques have expanded their social network and adopted Who wants to share limited resources, For example, sitting in a shadowed space when a hurricane swept across a large area of trees.
The team believes that their findings in Puerto Rico help answer a big unanswered question about the benefits of social relations, and that in the future, they hope to investigate the long-term effects of establishing or not establishing new social connections in extreme situations.
This is the animal they want to know if they have the most social connections Live longer or have more offspring than those who don’tIn addition, they believe that the discovery of macaques can ultimately help people understand people and how they respond to extreme situations.
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