Primate Memory: Apes Retain Recognition of Peers for Over 25 Years

A study conducted on chimpanzees and bonobos has shown that these apes can recall the faces of other apes that they have not seen for years, with one bonobo recognizing a face after 26 years, setting a record for facial memory beyond our species. The apes consistently spent more time looking at their former companions, suggesting the presence of long-term memories. The researchers speculate that these durable memories may benefit the apes by allowing them to form alliances with old acquaintances encountered years later. The study also hints at the possibility of positive experiences strengthening these memories. The findings suggest that long-lived memories may have been vital to our own evolution as humans.