Can Apes Play Pretend? What Scientists Learned From Having Imaginary 'Tea Parties' With Kanzi the Bonobo

Imagination—the ability to conjure up ideas, images or scenarios that don’t exist in the here and now—has long been considered a uniquely human trait. But new research suggests we may not be the only species with rich mental lives capable of going beyond the present moment. At least one bonobo—a late, captive animal named Kanzi—appears to have been able to identify pretend objects, according to a paper published February 5 in the journal Science. Since bonobos are some of humans’ closest living.