People have long viewed the power to imagine and create unreal things as a core part of human creativity. It has helped shape art, music, and new ideas. Now, a new experiment suggests this ability may not be limited to humans. Researchers have found early signs that a captive ape may also be able to use imagination.

By the age of two, most children begin to engage in pretend play. They turn ordinary spaces into magical places and create make-believe games like tea parties.

“What’s really exciting about this work is that it suggests that the roots of this capacity for imagination are not unique to our species,” said study co-author Christopher Krupenye with Johns Hopkins University.

Meet Kanzi, the remarkable bonobo

The study focused on Kanzi, a bonobo raised in a research setting. Over the years, he became known for his strong ability to communicate with humans using graphic symbols. He could combine symbols to create new meanings and even learned to make simple stone tools.

Scientists wanted to know whether Kanzi could take part in pretend play. In simple terms, this means acting as if something is real while understanding that it is not. Earlier observations had hinted that apes might show such behavior. For example, female chimpanzees in the wild have been seen carrying sticks like babies, and some captive chimps have dragged invisible objects after playing with real ones.

However, studying imagination in animals is difficult because it is abstract. Researchers cannot easily know whether the animals are truly imagining something or simply copying what they see.

A pretend juice party experiment

To test this, scientists used methods similar to those used with young children. They created a pretend situation where they poured imaginary juice from a pitcher into two cups. Then, they acted as if they emptied only one of the cups. When asked which cup he wanted, Kanzi pointed to the one that supposedly still had pretend juice in it 68 percent of the time.

Checking if Kanzi knew the difference

Researchers wanted to be sure that Kanzi was not confusing real things with imaginary ones. So, they repeated the test using real juice. This time, Kanzi chose the cup with actual juice nearly 80 percent of the time. This result suggested that he understood the difference between something real and something imagined.

“which suggests that he really can tell the difference between real juice and imaginary juice,” said Amalia Bastos, a study co-author from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

In another test, scientists placed pretend grapes into two jars, and Kanzi again responded in a way that supported the idea that he understood the situation.

Not all experts are convinced

Despite the findings, some scientists remain unsure whether Kanzi truly used imagination in the same way humans do. Duke University comparative psychologist Michael Tomasello pointed out that there is a difference between watching pretend actions and creating them independently. He explained that he would need stronger evidence to be fully convinced.

“To be convinced of that I would need to see Kanzi actually pretend to pour water into a container himself,” Tomasello wrote in an email. He had no role in the study, which was published Thursday in the journal Science.

Questions remain about other apes

Kanzi spent most of his life around humans, which makes it difficult to know if his abilities were unique to him or common among other apes. He died last year at the age of 44.

Many species of great apes in the wild are now critically endangered. Researchers say more studies are needed to understand what these animals are truly capable of thinking and imagining.

“Kanzi opened this path for a lot of future studies,” Bastos said.