Image by Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay
Gorillas and teenagers have a lot in common. They both have little impulse control and show an indiscriminate need to mate.
Primates and humans share similar family dynamics, social behavior and emotional expressions.
But, unlike humans, gorillas know when to get their kids out into the world.
We humans hold onto our teenagers for a very long time. That might not be a good thing.
When male gorillas become sexually active, the elder females break branches off trees and beat them until they move to another family unit. It’s thought that this behavior is related to keeping the gene pool robust by avoiding breeding within families.
When our society was primarily agricultural, our kids moved from farm-to-farm where they learned skills critical to survival. They were also mentored by adults who weren’t their parents. See? Just like the gorillas.
Claudia
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