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Frans B. M. de Waal: 2 ideas worth knowing

2 ideas from Frans B. M. de Waal, each explained in a minute and credited to the original work. Free on Savvy.

• The elephant who recognised herself

  In 2006, an Asian elephant named Happy touched a mark on her own head while looking in a mirror — proof she understood the reflection was herself, not another elephant. It made ele…

  — Joshua M. Plotnik, Frans B. M. de Waal & Diana Reiss, Self-recognition in an Asian elephant

• Bonobos settle fights with sex, not violence, and females run the group

  Unlike chimpanzees, bonobos rarely fight to the death. Primatologist Frans de Waal documented how bonobo groups defuse tension over food, status or strangers through casual sexual …

  — Frans de Waal, Peacemaking Among Primates

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