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Do animals play? Certainly, many animals, especially the young, engage in behavior that seems like play. But why do they play? This question is difficult to answer, even for experts. For one thing, there are considerable difficulties involved in observing animals at play when they are not in natural surroundings. Monkeys, for example, play a lot in the wild, but in cages it is hard to make them play when you want them to. You have to sit patiently, waiting for the right moments. And even when you do see them playing, it is still difficult to say why they are doing so.

Scientists have noticed that when two monkeys are eplay-fighting,f they take turns winning. One will be on top, and it will look as if he is winning. Then suddenly he will give the other a chance to take control of the action. It is believed that this kind of play helps monkeys learn to take different roles when they are older. Like humans, animals sometimes need to take charge, and sometimes follow. Monkeys seem to learn this lesson by playing.

Another likely purpose of play is to let animals learn how to get along with others of their own age. It has been found that while baby rats kept with their brothers and sisters engage in a lot of rough play, those raised alone with their mothers play just a little. However, when rats which have only been with their mothers are put with other young rats, they play a lot more than those brought up in a large family. It seems that they make up for lost time.

Though much remains to be discovered about animal play, studies like these do seem to indicate that animals learn some very basic skills by taking part in play-like activities.

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