The researchers, desperate for a cleric to support their party, then attempted to teach Kanzi how to play DnD.
Kanzi, being a bonobo, then humped the imaginary object and asked for more snacks.
Should have given him a bard instead
Did the bonobo play pretend or did the scientists play pretend with an imaginary bonobo?
I've long contended that primates are, in principle, too stupid to be real.
Dang, we really need to control for these confounding variables
It's the same problem with double blind tests. Writing protocol when blindfolded is hard
Not to mention, wearing both blindfolds at once is very uncomfortable on top of my glasses
Maybe test if they can play pin the tail on the donkey?
Since I saw that primates have a sense of humor, things like this don’t surprise me as much, because it’s not like they’re similar to us, it’s that we are very similar to them. It’s natural to share many traits.
Don't dogs and cats do it?
When have you seen your dog or cat pretend to interact with an invisible object, like a toddler having an imaginary cup of tea?
They pretend they have toys when they have nothing at all, sometimes. And I'd argue that even playing with toys the way they do is major make-believe. Which is also something they already do in the wild - practice hunting on dead animals or inanimate objects.
My cat did pretend once to eat some crisps I'd given her. She was sat on a chair looking at me pleadingly, so I put a couple in front of her and after a sniff she "accidentally" knocked them on to the floor whilst pretending to eat them.
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