Chimps often use tools to find and eat food, but the tools they choose and their different purposes can differ depending on where they live.
In West Africa, for example, chimps throw stones at trees resulting in conspicuous accumulations at various sites.
But, unlike the use of sticks and leaves to crack nuts or attract a mate, this stone-throwing behaviour doesn't have an obvious context.
Now, after capturing this behaviour on camera, researchers believe they are a step closer to solving this mystery and believe it is a 'sacred' ritual that stems back through generations.
Do apes have a religion? Mysterious stone-throwing in chimps may be a 'sacred' ritual: Video shows bizarre behaviour is not for mating or finding food
In West Africa, chimps throw stones at trees resulting in piles
Unlike the use of sticks, this behaviour doesn't have an obvious context
Experts believe it could be part of a male display - but females also do it
Alternatively, it could be more symbolic and used to mark either a 'sacred' tree or act as a way of marking pathways and territories like humans do
By Victoria Woollaston for MailOnline
1 March 2016
Daily Mail
Chimps often use tools to find and eat food, but the tools they choose and their different purposes can differ depending on where they live.
In West Africa, for example, chimps throw stones at trees resulting in conspicuous accumulations at various sites.
But, unlike the use of sticks and leaves to crack nuts or attract a mate, this stone-throwing behaviour doesn't have an obvious context.
Now, after capturing this behaviour on camera, researchers believe they are a step closer to solving this mystery and believe it is a 'sacred' ritual that stems back through generations.
In West Africa chimps (examples shown top) throw stones at trees resulting in accumulations at various sites (pictured bottom). But, unlike the use of sticks and leaves to crack nuts or attract a mate, this stone-throwing behaviour doesn't have an obvious context and the researchers believe it may, instead, be a cultural ritual
To study the chimps and their behaviour, researchers of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany launched the Pan African Programme: The Cultured Chimpanzee.
After discovering piles of stones next to trees at four research sites in West Africa, the field teams placed camera traps next to them.
Camera traps automatically start recording when any movement occurs in front of them.
For this reason they are an ideal tool for recording wildlife doing its own thing without any disturbance.
At the site of the Chimbo Foundation in Guinea Bissau, for instance, videos confirmed the researchers' suspicion that chimpanzees were responsible for these stone piles and were regularly visiting these trees.
Importantly, the behaviour results in accumulations of rocks at these locations.
Whereas it is mainly the adult males practicing this behaviour in the context of ritualised displays, some camera traps also revealed females or juveniles doing it.
The behaviour has only been observed in West Africa and appears to be independent of any foraging context.
'What we saw on this camera was exhilarating - a large male chimp approaches our mystery tree and pauses for a second,' explained author Laura Kehoe from Humboldt University of Berlin.
'He then quickly glances around, grabs a huge rock and flings it full force at the tree trunk.
'Nothing like this had been seen before and it gave me goose bumps.
'What we discovered wasn't a random, one-off event. It was a repeated activity with no clear link to gaining food or status. It could be a ritual.
'We searched the area and found many more sites where trees had similar markings and in many places piles of rocks had accumulated inside hollow tree trunks - reminiscent of the piles of rocks archaeologists have uncovered in human history.'
Intriguingly, the authors also suggest this behaviour could shed some light on the origin of ritual sites in hominin evolution.
After discovering conspicuous piles of stones next to trees at four research sites in West Africa, the field teams placed camera traps next to them. At a site in Guinea Bissau, for instance, videos confirmed suspicions that chimpanzees (pictured) were responsible for these stone piles and were regularly visiting these trees
The behaviour results in accumulations of rocks (pictured left). Whereas it is mainly the adult males practicing this behaviour, some camera traps also revealed females or juveniles doing it. The behaviour (illustrated in the graph right) has only been observed in West Africa and appears to be independent of any foraging context
Chimps are often used as a model for the evolution of early hominins.
Due to the conspicuous accumulations of stones associated with this behaviour, it raises questions regarding the interpretation of stone accumulation sites in archaeology.
Ms Kehoe continued that the researchers have two main theories for the behaviour.
The first is that it could be part of a male display, where the loud bang made when a rock hits a hollow tree adds to the impressive nature of a display.
'If some trees produce an impressive bang, this could accompany or replace feet drumming in a display and trees with particularly good acoustics could become popular spots for revisits,' she said.
The map shows the locations of all chimpanzee populations studied across Africa where accumulative stone throwing behaviour was observed. 1 shows Boé, Guinea-Bissau, 2 is Sangaredi, Guinea, 3 is Mount Nimba, Liberia and 4 is Comoé in Ivory Coast
On the other hand, it could be more symbolic than that, and more reminiscent of our own past.
Marking pathways and territories with signposts such as piles of rocks is an important step in human history.
Figuring out where chimps' territories are in relation to rock throwing sites could give insights into whether this is the case here.
'Even more intriguing than this, maybe we found the first evidence of chimpanzees creating a kind of shrine that could indicate sacred trees,' the researcher continued.
'Indigenous West African people have stone collections at "sacred" trees and such man-made stone collections are commonly observed across the world and look eerily similar to what we have discovered here.'
The findings are published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Read more: Video shows chimpanzees' stone-throwing behaviour is not for mating or finding food | Daily Mail Online
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
In West Africa, for example, chimps throw stones at trees resulting in conspicuous accumulations at various sites.
But, unlike the use of sticks and leaves to crack nuts or attract a mate, this stone-throwing behaviour doesn't have an obvious context.
Now, after capturing this behaviour on camera, researchers believe they are a step closer to solving this mystery and believe it is a 'sacred' ritual that stems back through generations.
Do apes have a religion? Mysterious stone-throwing in chimps may be a 'sacred' ritual: Video shows bizarre behaviour is not for mating or finding food
In West Africa, chimps throw stones at trees resulting in piles
Unlike the use of sticks, this behaviour doesn't have an obvious context
Experts believe it could be part of a male display - but females also do it
Alternatively, it could be more symbolic and used to mark either a 'sacred' tree or act as a way of marking pathways and territories like humans do
By Victoria Woollaston for MailOnline
1 March 2016
Daily Mail
Chimps often use tools to find and eat food, but the tools they choose and their different purposes can differ depending on where they live.
In West Africa, for example, chimps throw stones at trees resulting in conspicuous accumulations at various sites.
But, unlike the use of sticks and leaves to crack nuts or attract a mate, this stone-throwing behaviour doesn't have an obvious context.
Now, after capturing this behaviour on camera, researchers believe they are a step closer to solving this mystery and believe it is a 'sacred' ritual that stems back through generations.
In West Africa chimps (examples shown top) throw stones at trees resulting in accumulations at various sites (pictured bottom). But, unlike the use of sticks and leaves to crack nuts or attract a mate, this stone-throwing behaviour doesn't have an obvious context and the researchers believe it may, instead, be a cultural ritual
To study the chimps and their behaviour, researchers of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany launched the Pan African Programme: The Cultured Chimpanzee.
After discovering piles of stones next to trees at four research sites in West Africa, the field teams placed camera traps next to them.
Camera traps automatically start recording when any movement occurs in front of them.
For this reason they are an ideal tool for recording wildlife doing its own thing without any disturbance.
At the site of the Chimbo Foundation in Guinea Bissau, for instance, videos confirmed the researchers' suspicion that chimpanzees were responsible for these stone piles and were regularly visiting these trees.
Importantly, the behaviour results in accumulations of rocks at these locations.
Whereas it is mainly the adult males practicing this behaviour in the context of ritualised displays, some camera traps also revealed females or juveniles doing it.
The behaviour has only been observed in West Africa and appears to be independent of any foraging context.
'What we saw on this camera was exhilarating - a large male chimp approaches our mystery tree and pauses for a second,' explained author Laura Kehoe from Humboldt University of Berlin.
'He then quickly glances around, grabs a huge rock and flings it full force at the tree trunk.
'Nothing like this had been seen before and it gave me goose bumps.
'What we discovered wasn't a random, one-off event. It was a repeated activity with no clear link to gaining food or status. It could be a ritual.
'We searched the area and found many more sites where trees had similar markings and in many places piles of rocks had accumulated inside hollow tree trunks - reminiscent of the piles of rocks archaeologists have uncovered in human history.'
Intriguingly, the authors also suggest this behaviour could shed some light on the origin of ritual sites in hominin evolution.
After discovering conspicuous piles of stones next to trees at four research sites in West Africa, the field teams placed camera traps next to them. At a site in Guinea Bissau, for instance, videos confirmed suspicions that chimpanzees (pictured) were responsible for these stone piles and were regularly visiting these trees
The behaviour results in accumulations of rocks (pictured left). Whereas it is mainly the adult males practicing this behaviour, some camera traps also revealed females or juveniles doing it. The behaviour (illustrated in the graph right) has only been observed in West Africa and appears to be independent of any foraging context
Chimps are often used as a model for the evolution of early hominins.
Due to the conspicuous accumulations of stones associated with this behaviour, it raises questions regarding the interpretation of stone accumulation sites in archaeology.
Ms Kehoe continued that the researchers have two main theories for the behaviour.
The first is that it could be part of a male display, where the loud bang made when a rock hits a hollow tree adds to the impressive nature of a display.
'If some trees produce an impressive bang, this could accompany or replace feet drumming in a display and trees with particularly good acoustics could become popular spots for revisits,' she said.
The map shows the locations of all chimpanzee populations studied across Africa where accumulative stone throwing behaviour was observed. 1 shows Boé, Guinea-Bissau, 2 is Sangaredi, Guinea, 3 is Mount Nimba, Liberia and 4 is Comoé in Ivory Coast
On the other hand, it could be more symbolic than that, and more reminiscent of our own past.
Marking pathways and territories with signposts such as piles of rocks is an important step in human history.
Figuring out where chimps' territories are in relation to rock throwing sites could give insights into whether this is the case here.
'Even more intriguing than this, maybe we found the first evidence of chimpanzees creating a kind of shrine that could indicate sacred trees,' the researcher continued.
'Indigenous West African people have stone collections at "sacred" trees and such man-made stone collections are commonly observed across the world and look eerily similar to what we have discovered here.'
The findings are published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Read more: Video shows chimpanzees' stone-throwing behaviour is not for mating or finding food | Daily Mail Online
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
Last edited:
