Western chimpanzees in Guinea-Bissau’s Boé region have revealed a rare form of communication: stone-throwing at tree buttresses, leaving behind distinctive stone piles. In a new study supported by Chimbo, researchers compared this behavior to the well-known hand and foot drumming often used in long-distance communication and male displays. Using camera traps, they found that stone-assisted drumming happens in similar social and emotional contexts but shows different patterns, suggesting it carries a unique communicative function. The behavior’s distinctiveness and limited geographic spread point to cultural transmission in these chimpanzee communities.
New Insights Into Rare Stone-Throwing Behavior in Chimpanzees
