does mental retardation, only occur in humans?

Question

or does it happen in other species?

Answer 1

Chromosomal abnormalities cause mental retardation along with other birth defects, so the answer is yes this occurs in other primates. There is no such thing as slow development, so I am sure what the other answerer is discussing, she may be talking about learning disabilities but learning disabilities and mental retardation are very different issues.

Answer 2

Chromosomal abnormalities occur in many species--other apes for instance. Often times animals with abnormalities are killed off before they can join the gene pool so we don't see them as often as we do in the human species. Humans try to save everyone for better or for worse.

Answer 3

Mental retardation can occur in any species. Just with humans we protect our young. In the wild they are eaten by predators before they get a chance to grow up.

Answer 4

Mental retardation is in general terms just a delay or absence of proper brain development. So I don't see why it couldn't happen in other species. In fact, I once saw (this is random) a thing on TV about a wildlife expert who found a couple of mentally handicapped cheetahs in the wild and took them into captivity to "teach" them how to be cheetahs. Anyway, I think the reason that we don't see handicapped animals is because, well...they die. They can't fend for themselves and don't have the proper instincts to be able to find food, protect themselves, etc. It's natural selection, so that these handicaps are not passed on. However, in humans, we kind of "overpower" natural selection so that individuals who would die in nature are saved by medical intervention, thereby carrying these traits along to the next generation.

Hope that helps!

Answer 5

No. It is also known to occur in lawyers and politicians.