Chimps and gorillas hang out together says detailed study

They may be different species, but that doesn't stop chimps and gorillas socialising.

According to a new study the two primate species not only interact, but have also been seen hanging out together for a whole day!

They spend the time communally eating, chasing, wrestling and a bit of play-fighting - so pretty much like spending a day with a sibling!

This isn't the first study on the ways two animals interact, but it is one of the most detailed over a long period of time.

The research team observed chimpanzees and gorillas on the Goualougo Triangle, a 100-square-mile region in the Republic of Congo in Central Africa.

The research was done by scientists from Washington University, the Wildlife Conservation Society, the University of Johannesburg (South Africa) and Lincoln Park Zoo (Chicago) and is reported in the journal iScience.

As well as looking at previous research over 20 years, the team conducted daily follows of chimpanzees and gorillas from 1999 to 2020 in the Goualougo Triangle.

They looked at some of the reasons for the gorilla-chimp meet-ups, including protection from predators, finding food and other social benefits from sharing information.

A chimpanzee in the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park in the Republic of Congo

Although previous studies have suggested avoiding predators like snakes and leopards could be one reason why chimpanzees and gorillas gather, the scientists found little support for this.

Instead they said foraging, which means looking for food, was a bigger reason with co-feeding at the same tree representing 34% of the gorilla-chimp interactions that they documented.

The researchers also said that the number of interactions they found probably represent the minimum occurrences because they weren't able to follow all chimpanzees parties or conduct ape follows every day during their study period.