5-year study suggests chimps strike stones against trees as communication

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: This male chimpanzee in a nature reserve in Guinea-Bissau has just thrown a stone, an act captured by a camera trap. Credit: Chimbo Foundation. A recent study by behavioral biologists from Wageningen University & Research and the German Primate Research Center has uncovered a remarkable phenomenon among wild chimpanzees in West Africa: the use of stones to produce sound, presumably as a form of communication. Over the course of a five-year field study, the research team collected video footage at five distinct locations within a nature reserve in Guinea-Bissau. This was made possible through the use of camera traps and with essential support from local field guides. In specific areas, a striking behavioral pattern was observed: adult male chimpanzees repeatedly struck stones against tree trunks, resulting ... Read full article.