Gorillas' pastimes that ape human behaviour

It could almost be a scene from a school playground. But the youngsters playing tag are gorillas, not children.

Cheeky apes sneak up on their rivals, clip them round the head and run away as fast as they can, researchers found.

The "hit and run" attacks often lead to full-scale games of tag, in which the animals take turns to chase each other around their cages. This shows, once again, how similar great apes are to people — and how much of our behaviour can be seen in the animal world.

Little games

The discovery was made by Dr Marina Davila Ross of Portsmouth University, who studied the behaviour of infant and teenage gorillas in five German zoos. She said infant and adolescent gorillas played the tag game but adults refused to get involved.

"Our findings show important similarities with the game of tag," Dr Ross said. "Not only did the gorillas hit their playmates and run away when chased but they also switched their roles when hit so the chaser became the chased and vice versa."

Once the gorilla catches up with their attacker, they often return the thump, she said. Sometimes a return hit ends the game — but it can also lead to a role reversal, with the attacker becoming the chaser.

Testing the waters

The study was published in the journal Biology Letters. Dr Ross, an expert in primate behaviour, believes hit-and-run play allows them to test the limits of acceptable behaviour — and see how far they can push parents and peers.

The study also revealed that a shove resulted in a bigger reaction than a gentle tap, which was more likely to be ignored. "Play allows gorillas to improve their physical and social skills," Dr Ross said.

The researchers cannot say for sure whether the gorillas are playing a proper game of tag but say their behaviour is remarkably similar.

The discovery, made after researchers watched videos of 21 gorillas from six colonies, adds to the evidence that gorillas and chimpanzees show a range of human-like behaviour.

Recently, German researchers found that bonobos, or pygmy chimpanzees, shake their heads to mean "no", just like people. And earlier in the year, scientists said chimps in a Scottish zoo mourned the death of an elderly ape and even moved their bedding out of the enclosure where she died.

Studies have shown that great apes communicate intelligently using an unspoken vocabulary of 40 gestures, movements and smacks.