Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Johns Hopkins University researchers demonstrate for the first time that apes can use their imagination and play pretend, an ability thought to be uniquely human.
Consistently and robustly across three experiments, one bonobo engaged with cups of imaginary juice and bowls of pretend grapes, challenging long-held assumptions about the abilities of animals.
The findings suggest that the capacity to understand pretend objects is within the cognitive potential of, at least, an enculturated ape, and likely dates back 6 to 9 million years, to our common evolutionary ancestors.
“It really is game-changing that their mental lives go beyond the here and now,” said co-author Christopher Krupenye, a Johns Hopkins assistant professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences who studies how animals think. “Imagination has long been seen as a critical element of what it is to be human but the idea that it may not be exclusive to our species is really transformative.
“Jane Goodall discovered that chimps make tools and that led to a change in the definition of what it means to be human and this, too, really invites us to reconsider what makes us special and what mental life is out there among other creatures.”
The findings are published today in Science.
Johns Hopkins University researchers demonstrate for the first time that apes can use their imagination and play pretend, an ability thought to be uniquely human.
Consistently and robustly across three experiments, one bonobo engaged with cups of imaginary juice and bowls of pretend grapes, challenging long-held assumptions about the abilities of animals.
The findings suggest that the capacity to understand pretend objects is within the cognitive potential of, at least, an enculturated ape, and likely dates back 6 to 9 million years, to our common evolutionary ancestors.
“It really is game-changing that their mental lives go beyond the here and now,” said co-author Christopher Krupenye, a Johns Hopkins assistant professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences who studies how animals think. “Imagination has long been seen as a critical element of what it is to be human but the idea that it may not be exclusive to our species is really transformative.
“Jane Goodall discovered that chimps make tools and that led to a change in the definition of what it means to be human and this, too, really invites us to reconsider what makes us special and what mental life is out there among other creatures.”
The findings are published today in Science.
