4 days ago
Chimpanzees follow trends just like we do
Humans copy each other with fashion fads and crazes all the time, and it turns out some chimps do too. The latest fashion trend for a group of chimpanzees in Zambia? Sticking grass in their ears. Fierce!Scientists from the University of Durham observed the primates copying each other, and saw the trend growing, despite it seemingly serving absolutely no purpose - other than to look super stylish of course. The team say it shows our closest relatives have even more human-like culture than we first thought.
It's not the first time this kind of behaviour has been seen in chimpanzees at the Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage Trust. Over 10 years ago researchers saw a female chimp from a completely different group start wearing grass in her ear and one by one, others adopted the trend. It's very similar to how fashions and trends emerge in humans. Dr Jake Brooker from Durham University, said: "This isn't about cracking nuts or fishing for termites – it's more like chimpanzee fashion."It mirrors how human cultural fads spread: someone starts doing something, others copy it, and it becomes part of the group identity even if it serves no clear purpose."
