Chimps Impress With Surprisingly Human-Like Hygiene
Monkeys Clean Their Behinds as Well
Forget the misconception that our closest relatives, chimpanzees, are nothing but wild, uncivilized creatures. Researchers have just discovered that these great apes exhibit behaviors remarkably similar to our own when it comes to hygiene. In the African jungle, they clean their bottoms, treat injuries with plants, and even care for each other's wellbeing—all symptoms of an evolutionary roots of medicine and healthcare.
This groundbreaking study, published in the journal "Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution," was carried out by an international team of scientists, including researchers from Germany. Over a period, they observed two chimpanzee groups in Uganda's Budongo Forest, documenting their body care practices for the first time.
Among various findings, ten chimpanzees—both males and females—were seen cleaning their genitals with plant leaves after mating, a hygienic practice that could protect against infections. Interestingly, one female even wiped her bottom with leaves after defecating, presumably to maintain cleanliness and promote health.
The team also reported that chimpanzees seem to use medicinal plants to treat their own, as well as others' injuries. These injured individuals are not just confined to genetic relatives; care is provided to non-related individuals too. To top it off, the great apes appear to take self-care one step further, employing other measures to ensure their health.
These observations aren't entirely new; there have been instances of chimpanzees treating wounds with plants and even orangutans actively treating a wound on their face with a medicinal plant. Of course, such behaviors are not limited to the great apes, extending to elephants, civet cats, porcupines, and brown bears, among others.
Lead author Elodie Freymann of the University of Oxford sees this research as illuminating the evolutionary origins of medicine and healthcare in humans. By understanding how chimpanzees identify and use medicinal plants, we can gain insight into the cognitive and social foundations of human care, she states.
The focus of this study concentrated on wounds that the animals had sustained from fights and human traps. Behaviors observed for wound treatment ranged from licking wounds to remove bacteria, licking fingers and pressing them onto wounds for cleaning, dabbing wounds with leaves, and applying chewed plant material to wounds. Equally impressive, the team noted that all the chimpanzees recovered from their wounds.
The researchers also highlight a form of female solidarity among chimpanzees, as observed in Bonobos. In Gabon, for example, chewed insects are applied to wounds, and well-documented among wild chimpanzees is the chewing and eating of leaves for deworming purposes.
As we continue to uncover the fascinating similarities between chimpanzees and humans, the boundaries between our species seem to grow thinner and thinner, encouraging us to appreciate and conserve these remarkable creatures as much as we value our own species.
Sources:
- ntv.de, kst/dpa
- Monkeys
- Health
- Hygiene
- The study, published in the journal "Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution," has revealed that chimpanzees employ an employment policy of sorts in the realm of health-and-wellness, as they exhibit medical-conditions-related behaviors such as treating injuries with plants.
- In light of the evidence that chimpanzees utilize medicinal plants for therapies-and-treatments, researchers suggest that this practice could offer insights into the cognitive and social foundations of human care policies, including employing substances like CBD for medical purposes.
- As the team continues to investigate the hygiene practices of chimpanzees, they have discovered that these great apes use community policy to promote cleanliness and address medical-conditions through the sharing of treatments derived from science, such as certain plant leaves with healing properties.
