Biologists provide first evidence of chimpanzees communicating about a cultural practice. Chimpanzees communicate with each other to coordinate a specific type of grooming. Biologists from Utrecht University noted this behaviour using extensive video observations, making it the first reported evidence that communication and cultural behaviour are closely intertwined in chimpanzees. The study also shows that cultural behaviour in animals can involve multiple individuals, and is not restricted to individual behaviour. The researchers published their results today in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B . Some groups of chimpanzees groom each other in a specific way that is not observed in other groups. When two chimps start to groom this way, they both put one arm up in the air, grasping each other's hand, wrist or forearm.
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