Three chimpanzees at Miami MetrozooWIKIMEDIA COMMONS, MATTHEW HOELSCHER
Socially-aware chimps
Wild chimps are more likely to call out in response to a poisonous snake when they are near another chimp that has not yet seen the trouble, according to a study published this week in Current Biology. Using plastic models of rhino and gaboon vipers—well-camouflaged snakes with deadly venom—researchers at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland saw that chimps first jumped away from the snakes, then approached it to investigate. At that point, they would make a soft "hoo" sound to alert other chimps, but only if there were other chimps nearby that were unaware of the snake.
“We monitored the snake all day, so we knew which animals had seen it and which hadn't,” lead author Catherine Crockford told BBC News. ...
