A group of scientists led by Marina Davila Ross of the University of Portsmouth in Hampshire, U.K. studied videos of gorillas in various zoos and reserves in order to achieve a better understanding of certain social behaviours in a natural setting.

The group noticed that during routine games of 'tag', the gorillas low on the social hierarchy tended to initiate the game more often, leading the team to believe they use it as a form of 'ego boost'.

I can remember trying to tackle my dad and older cousins as a puny kid, perhaps due to the same underlying behavioural mechanisms.

The gorilla report will be published in Biology Letters online.

Tags: gorilla, tag, social status, natural hierarchy,

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