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Reasons Why Monkeys Yawn

Monkeys are vocal and they have expressive faces, which send out signals of a wide range of emotions. You can see monkeys that flap their tongues and pout their lips. A monkey's facial expression is not easy to interpret and exposure of teeth, which may look like a smile, is used as a threat. Understanding the reason behind an expression is often a challenge and humans and monkeys may yawn in a similar way for different reasons.

Social Intelligence
- There are around 250 monkey species and, unlike apes, they usually have tails. Monkeys have social intelligence and they often have societies with long-lasting social bonds between female relatives. Individuals often compete for social dominance. Most monkey species use the same face language. Communication is important in social groups and monkeys use a range of ways to express themselves.
Facial Muscles
- Chimpanzees have similar face muscles to humans. Anthropologist Anne Burrows has dissected several dead non-primate faces and believes that chimpanzees use their lips in many of their facial expressions. A chimpanzee is not a monkey, it is an ape, but this research suggests that other primates such as monkeys may use similar facial musical as humans.
Involuntary Action
- Humans yawn for various reasons such as tiredness, boredom and overwork. A yawn is a reflex and involuntary action that makes you open your mouth wide and take a deep breath. Human babies mimic parents' facial expressions and mirror neurons are involved. Mirror neurons fire when we see someone performing an action. Mirror neurons fire both when a monkey sees an action and when it performs an action. Yawning sends a powerful message and it has a contagious component. Biologists Annika Paukner and James Anderson at the University of Stirling, United Kingdom, say stumptail macaques show signs of yawning more frequently when they watch a videotape with other monkeys yawning.
Emphaty
- There are several explanations for why yawning is contagious. One explanation is that it releases tension and is simply an innate response. Monkeys may show empathy with other monkeys and primates by mimicking their expressions. A monkey who sees another monkey yawning may think about itself yawning and this triggers a big yawn. The answer as to why a monkey yawns in the first place is still unclear. A possible explanation is that a monkey yawns to provide its body with more oxygen and that monkeys, just Ike humans, yawn when they are bored.

Animals & Science