a chimp throws a rock at another chimp. But in West Africa, scientists think the animals may also ritualistically throw stones at hollow trees. Anup Shah/Nature Picture Library/Corbis Since the ...

Laura said: "Maybe we found the first evidence of chimpanzees creating a kind of shrine that could indicate sacred trees. "And if you think about it, the fact that chimps are animals is no reason ...

All hail the sacred tree. I’ve often wondered aloud in the newsroom about the possibility of finding evidence of a chimp shrine, the discovery of a place where chimps pray to their deity.

Because bowerbirds collect and artfully arrange objects as part of courtship, Schaefer calls them “shrine makers ... performed at trees in the forest and similar chimpanzee behaviors performed ...

The apes there have a habit of drumming on the tops of roots that stretch from the base of tree trunks. Jane Goodall and others have long assumed that this behavior represents a form of communication ...

A 2022 study from the same research team showed that chimpanzees can drum on the buttress roots of trees. Drumming on these large tree roots that grow above the soil can produce low frequency sounds.

They paid particular attention when an injured or ill chimpanzee sought out something they do not normally eat - such as tree bark or fruit skin. “We were looking for these behavioural clues ...

The fruit in question is seasonal and comes from Treculia africana trees common across the home environment of the wild chimps in Cantanhez National Park in Guinea-Bissau. Once mature, the fruits ...