Food Forced Human Ancestors Switched From Four legs to Two
Human ancestors switched from four legs to two because they could carry as much food as possible in one go, according to a new report. REUTERS

Apes calculate and gamble like humans, claim researchers at the Max Plunck Institute for Psycholinguistics in the Netherland.

The researchers came out with the startling finding after observing the behaviour of the apes in certain situations. The apes, which were subjected to the study, were given two bananas. The small banana was kept in a cup which was visible to the apes while the bigger banana was hidden under another cup.

The researchers observed that the apes were gambling for the bigger banana. The apes preferred to gamble most of the time. They also found that the apes decided to take the small banana when there was the risk of uncertainty.

The research team said that this ability to calculate and gamble was also seen in chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and orangutans.

In one of their studies, the researchers found that chimpanzees mourned the deaths of their loved ones, just like humans.

"Our study adds to the growing evidence that the mental life of the other great apes is much more sophisticated than is often assumed," head of the research team Daniel Haun said.