mutual grooming
Trading cleaning favors
Mutual grooming is the behavior of two animals cleaning or tending to each other's fur, feathers, or skin—picking out parasites, smoothing hair, or removing debris from places the other can't reach.
Common among primates, birds, and other social species, it serves both hygiene and social bonding: The chimps spent the afternoon in mutual grooming.
The term extends to humans reciprocally attending to each other's appearance or, figuratively, to any exchange of flattery or favors between allies.
- bondingForming close connections
- socialConcerning community life
- social bondingForming emotional connections
- primatesOrder of higher mammals
- furAnimal body hair
nit-picking · lice · trust · intimacy · reciprocal · stroking · gentle touch · combing · monkeys · chimps · affection · touch · soothing · feathers · cleaning · nurturing · scratching · backrub
mutual groomingself-cleaning
Removes its own grime
self-care · neglect · personal grooming · preening · personal hygiene
mutual groomingsocial isolation
Lack of human contact
aggression · territorial behavior · avoidance · social withdrawal · neglect
mutual groomingaggression
Hostile or attacking behavior
fighting · dominance display · territorial behavior · social isolation · attack
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