Monkeys, Humans Both Monkey Around Less With Age

While none of the subjects were heard to utter "Get off my lawn!" older monkeys observed in a recent study shared a variety of traits with older humans, the New York Times recently reported.

A recent study of Barbary macaques revealed that, as with their human counterparts, social interactions and exploration decline with age.
Photo Credit: *Ivanhoe, Wilimedia Commons*

Rachel Martin

06/30/2016 5:00 a.m.

Researchers studied over 100 Barbary macaque monkeys with a large age range, from 4 to 29, which one researcher said is about 105 in human years. And those primates shared some familiar behaviors, the Times' piece parsed out.

The monkeys grew less interested in toys as they reached reproductive age, and as they reached "retirement age," while they stayed interested in social contacts, they were less social, themselves, the study noted.

"They are still very much tuned into what's going on," said Dr. Julia Fischer, as the Times reported. "But they don't want to participate themselves."

Read the full New York Times story here.

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