Long-sightedness in old wild bonobos during grooming.
Some scientists have suggested that, among Hominidae, prolonged postmenopausal longevity evolved uniquely in humans [1], while others disagree [2]. There have, however, been few empirical studies on how physiological aging and somatic durability in humans compare to our closest relatives - chimpanzees and bonobos [3]. If prolonged lifespan is selected for in humans, physiological aging, including reproductive and somatic senescence, might be different for Pan and Homo. But it seems that the parameters of reproductive senescence, such as the age of having their final offspring and the number of years between generations, are not very different between chimpanzee and human females [4]. Here, we report evidence for five cases of long-sightedness (presbyopia) in old wild bonobos, exhibited during grooming. Our results suggest that senescence of the eye has not changed much since the divergence of Pan and Homo from their common ancestor.
Department of Ecology and Social Behavior, Primate Research Institute of Kyoto University, Inuyama, Aichi, 484-8506, Japan. Electronic address: ryu.heungjin.26v@kyoto-u.jp.
Heungjin
H
Ryu
School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9JP, UK.
Kirsty E
KE
Graham
Department of Ecology and Social Behavior, Primate Research Institute of Kyoto University, Inuyama, Aichi, 484-8506, Japan.
Tetsuya
T
Sakamaki
Department of Ecology and Social Behavior, Primate Research Institute of Kyoto University, Inuyama, Aichi, 484-8506, Japan.
Takeshi
T
Furuichi
D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D018420:Ape Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D015023:Democratic Republic of the Congo; D005260:Female; D006120:Grooming; D006956:Hyperopia / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary; D008297:Male; D019974:Pan paniscus; D011305:Presbyopia / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D012737:Sex Factors; D014785:Vision, Ocular / Q000502:physiology