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Ape Imagination: Bonobo Kanzi Shows Pretend Play Skills
9 Feb
Summary
- Bonobo Kanzi participated in experiments demonstrating pretend play.
- Kanzi could distinguish between real and imaginary juice and grapes.
- Study suggests capacity for pretend objects is not uniquely human.
A recent study published in Science suggests that great apes possess the capacity for pretend play, a cognitive ability long considered uniquely human. This groundbreaking research focused on a bonobo named Kanzi, who participated in controlled experiments.
Kanzi demonstrated his imaginative skills by successfully distinguishing between real and imaginary juice and grapes in a series of tests conducted in 2024. He accurately identified which containers held pretend items more often than chance would allow.
These experiments, conducted a year before Kanzi's death in March 2025, provide robust evidence against anecdotal observations. The findings suggest that the ability to represent pretend objects is not exclusive to humans, broadening our understanding of ape cognition.
While the study's lead researcher noted Kanzi's unique language abilities, the team believes these findings may extend to other apes. Further investigation is planned to explore this possibility across different ape species.
