Is Gambling Exclusive Only To Humans?

Gambling is one of the most popular activities among adults around the world – but, it is not exclusive to humans. A recent report in Alphr.com notes that there are plenty of creatures on Earth that engage in gambling activities. “If you allow the definition of gambling to encompass a broader concept than just money.

It turns out that when their survival depends on it, even plants will risk everything on a bet that could very easily go wrong”.

Plants

Researchers tested out this theory with pea plants. They were raised in a greenhouse, and had their roots split into two pots with different nutrients. Unsurprisingly, the plants would grow better in the more nutritious pots. Then, the research introduced varying levels of nutrients into one pot, which would sometimes offer more or less nutritional value than the pot with constant nutrient levels.

When the constant pot offered higher levels, the plants would grow longer roots. When the constant pot offered lower levels, the plant would ‘double down’ on the variable pot in hopes of surviving.

Chimps

Chimpanzees also engage in gambling. Researchers offered the animals two pieces of fruit or a few nuts. If they picked the first option, they would have a 50% change of getting a piece of fruit. Then, the experiment was repeated when the researchers offered the chimps one piece of fruit with a 50% chance of getting two pieces.

Many of the chimps picked the single piece of fruit more often than they picked the two pieces of fruit, even though they would just get one piece of fruit anyways. In the end, they just preferred a pleasant surprise over the potential disappointment.

Pigeons

Another experiment presented pigeons with slots-style machines that dispensed pellets. The machines that offered up more pellets were less likely to pay out food pellets while the other machine offered smaller rewards more often. The pigeons chose to peck at the machines that provided more pellets at a higher risk. It is interesting that gambling exists in nature, and it plays its own role.

Animals and plants engage in the activity for various reasons to potentially gain more value out of certain transactions. The report concludes: “It’s reassuring to take a look at nature and see that, in its purest form, the mechanism is there for a reason. As long as we know when to walk away from the table”.