32 votes

Chimpanzees have been hurling rocks at the same trees for more than a decade

Posted by updawg
Tags: primatology, guinea bissau, wildlife, primates, chimpanzees, ethology, author.robyn nakano, author.ammie kalan, source.the conversation
https://theconversation.com/why-do-male-chimpanzees-throw-rocks-at-the-same-trees-for-more-than-a-decade-we-travelled-to-remote-guinea-bissau-to-find-out-279187

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Title
Why do male chimpanzees throw rocks at the same trees for more than a decade? We travelled to remote Guinea-Bissau to find out
Authors
Robyn Nakano, Ammie Kalan
Published
Jun 2 2026
Word count
909 words

9 comments

  1. [3]
    Comment deleted by author
    Link
    1. [2]
      updawg
      Link Parent
      Except it says they only throw at specific trees from specific areas. They don't throw in other areas even when trees and rocks are abundant.

      Except it says they only throw at specific trees from specific areas. They don't throw in other areas even when trees and rocks are abundant.

      8 votes
      1. Captain_Wacky
        Link Parent
        It's just not a good 'rock-throwin' tree, y'know?

        It's just not a good 'rock-throwin' tree, y'know?

        10 votes
  2. [2]
    carsonc
    Link
    That was beautiful. Evocative. I felt like I was there, right on the precipice of discovering, "Why do these chimpanzees hurl rocks at this tree?" In fact, having read the article, I still feel...

    That was beautiful. Evocative. I felt like I was there, right on the precipice of discovering, "Why do these chimpanzees hurl rocks at this tree?" In fact, having read the article, I still feel that I am on the same precipice, waiting with bated breath, the revelation of the explanation of this behavior, anticipating that this mystery will soon be unraveled.

    Alas, it seems that the inscrutable will of these stone-throwing primates will remain beyond our ken, their motivations shrouded, their purpose hidden.

    11 votes
    1. updawg
      Link Parent
      Yeah, there's a reason I stuck with the headline from Science Direct instead of The Conversation's "Why do male chimpanzees throw rocks at the same trees for more than a decade? We travelled to...

      Yeah, there's a reason I stuck with the headline from Science Direct instead of The Conversation's "Why do male chimpanzees throw rocks at the same trees for more than a decade? We travelled to remote Guinea‑Bissau to find out."

      3 votes
  3. [3]
    adamlang
    Link
    While a chimp can literally rip your arms off. They. unintuitively cannot throw very well. Like 20 feet max lob or something. I read it has something to do with their muscle structure the reason...

    While a chimp can literally rip your arms off. They. unintuitively cannot throw very well. Like 20 feet max lob or something. I read it has something to do with their muscle structure the reason they are strong is the same they cannot throw very far. I wonder if this behavior will lead toward a mate selection of chimps with better throwing over time that are less strong ie more human like.

    3 votes
    1. CptBluebear
      Link Parent
      It's not that chimps can't throw very well, it's that humans are freakishly good at throwing anything and the only animal able to do so accurately at high speed. We're an enormous outlier in this...

      It's not that chimps can't throw very well, it's that humans are freakishly good at throwing anything and the only animal able to do so accurately at high speed. We're an enormous outlier in this regard.

      3 votes
    2. updawg
      Link Parent
      Probably because they didn't grow up playing baseball, just like when you ask a European friend to throw you something.

      Probably because they didn't grow up playing baseball, just like when you ask a European friend to throw you something.

      2 votes
  4. Dovey
    Link
    Turns out, chimpanzees enjoy disc golf too.

    Turns out, chimpanzees enjoy disc golf too.

    1 vote
  5. sparkle
    Link
    Maybe they're just NPCs in a Monkey Island game, continually throwing rocks at Guybrush stuck in a tree. Somebody must have left the game running for ten years /noise

    Maybe they're just NPCs in a Monkey Island game, continually throwing rocks at Guybrush stuck in a tree. Somebody must have left the game running for ten years

    /noise

    2 votes