A Pointless Fashion Trend or Something Else? Chimpanzees Wear Blades of Grass in Their Ears and Rears

A pointless fashion trend or something else? Chimpanzees wear blades of grass in their ears and rears

A team of researchers from Utrecht University, Durham University, and other institutions have observed something remarkable at a chimpanzee sanctuary in Zambia. Several chimpanzees from one particular group were seen dangling blades of grass from their ear holes or their behinds, for no apparent reason. The behavior was not seen in other chimpanzee groups at the same sanctuary, despite similar living conditions.

Chimpanzees adopt social ’fads’ even when they serve no purpose

8.07.2025 - Chimpanzees have been observed copying quirky social behaviours from one another - wearing grass in their ears and bottoms - despite these actions offering no apparent practical benefit. It reveals that chimpanzees, like humans, are capable of socially transmitting arbitrary customs, suggesting that our closest relatives may share deeper roots with human culture than previously thought

A pointless fashion trend? Chimpanzees wear blades of grass in their ears and rears

Edwin van Leeuwen: "This may offer insights into the evolutionary roots of human culture.”

A pointless fashion trend or something else? Chimpanzees wear blades of grass in their ears and rears - Tech and Science Post

A team of researchers from Utrecht University, Durham University, and other institutions have observed something remarkable at a chimpanzee sanctuary in Zambia. Several chimpanzees from one particular group were seen dangling blades of grass from their ear holes or their behinds, for no apparent reason. The behavior was not seen in other chimpanzee groups at the same sanctuary, despite similar living conditions. “This shows that like humans, oth…