Going Ape At The Casino?

I'll see your banana and raise you another...like to have a flutter on the horses or a few rounds of online bingo? Believe it or not, scientific research seems to show that taking a gamble is not a uniquely human form of behaviour. It looks like our closely related genetic cousins - the chimpanzees - like to have a flutter as well.

So... how do the scientists demonstrate this remarkable claim? Scientists at the Leipzig Zoo, in Germany, carried out a study comparing the behaviour of the common chimpanzee with that of the bonobo: a closely related species found in the jungles of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In the experiment, five chimps and five bonobos were compared with each other.

Every day, the animals were presented with two upside down bowls. Under one bowl, there was ALWAYS four grapes. However, under the other bowl the number of grapes would vary from one to seven.

In short: one bowl always guaranteed a moderate outcome of four grapes. The second bowl could offer either an excellent outcome - of seven grapes - or a poor outcome of just one grape.

In the experiment, the captive chimps loved to have a gamble. They would take the risk and go for the lucky dip. The bonobos however, knew what side their bread was buttered and would opt for the safe option and the guarantee of four grapes.

Although the two species diverged from a common ancestor less than one million years ago, and share many characteristics, including body size and appearance, the chimps are prepared to take a risk with their food gathering technique.

Psychologist Sarah Heilbronner, of Duke University, North Carolina, said: "In doing so, bonobos may avoid some of the risk incurred by chimpanzees in their frugivorous foraging.

"Our results suggest that species-specific feeding ecologies can strongly influence risk preferences.

"Though humans systematically violate many of the normative principles of economic theory, few researchers have considered preferences in relation to the environment in which they evolved.

"As humans did not evolve in the context of modern economies, many of our preferences are likely tailored to providing adaptive foraging and other evolutionarily relevant decisions.

"An evolutionary approach to economic preferences can offer keen insights into the nature of decision making."

So next time you're at an online casino or in a gambling room, spare a thought for who you might be playing online with.