Peacemaking among primates

Primates have some remarkable peacemaking strategies.

Chimpanzees affirm their relationships by grooming one another.
Two male chimpanzees have fallen out. They are sitting several metres apart and staring around at the grass, the sky anywhere except the other male. A serious fight could break out. Just then a female approaches one of the males. She presents herself to him as chimpanzees do, with her backside.  And then very slowly walks toward the other male. The first male follows, right up close to her rump, casually inspecting her genitals, and scrupulously avoiding eye contact with the other male. She turns round to make sure he is following, giving him a gentle tug on the arm when he shows signs of lagging. Then she sits down right next to the other male and between the two and they both spontaneously begin grooming her. After a little while, she slips away and the males continue grooming each other. They have made peace.

Macaque monkeys have another peacemaking strategy. When two males recognise they are in danger of a serious fight one may reach for an infant and put it in the middle. Somehow it seems to diffuse the tension.
Perhaps it is rather like a teacher from Nazareth whose disciples were quarrelling about which of them was the greatest and he went and took a child and put him in the middle of them all and said ‘Whoever receives this child in my name receives me and whoever receives me receives him who sent me, the one who is least among you all is the one who is great.’

Two sources for this type of story
Robin Dunbar Primate Social Systems
Frans De Waal Good-natured

Suggested Task: What do you think that the macaques monkeys are doing?

Some sociobiologists have found it hard to understand why the macaque monkeys do what they do. Why do they reach for an infant? What do you think?

Your comments.