Chimps Have Been Caught Throwing Rocks at Trees And Yelling For No Apparent Reason [View all]
MIKE MCRAE 19 DEC 2019
Chimpanzees in West Africa have a song, and it goes like this - hoot loudly, and then throw a rock at a tree. Maybe twice. And then saunter away.
Whatever it is our primate cousins are trying to do, we honestly have no idea. But a close look at their choice of instruments just might provide some clues, as the chimps have been observed throwing the rocks at certain types of trees.
Primatologists from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany, who first observed this behaviour a few years ago, have now tossed some rocks of their own to determine whether rock-hurling would work as a type of communication.
It's no secret that our primate relatives use stones for a variety of practical purposes, from extracting tortoise fresh from the can to casting them as weapons.
More:
https://www.sciencealert.com/chimps-are-pitching-stones-at-certain-types-of-tree-and-we-have-no-idea-why?perpetual=yes&limitstart=1
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