Chimpanzee study reveals musical secrets of humans’ ancient ancestor

Chimpanzees drum on tree trunks with regular rhythms, suggesting rhythmic drumming may predate humans, a new study reveals.

This discovery offers intriguing insights into the potential rhythmic abilities of our last common ancestor, shared some six million years ago.

Analysis of 371 drumming bouts by chimpanzees demonstrates a clear rhythmic pattern in their tree-trunk percussion, according to University of Amsterdam music cognition researcher Henkjan Honing.

This reinforces the idea that rhythm plays a significant role in chimpanzee communication.

"Our ability to produce rhythm – and to use it in our social worlds – that seems to be something that predates humans being human," explains study co-author Cat Hobaiter, a primatologist at the University of St Andrews.

This builds upon previous research indicating individual chimps possess unique drumming styles, further solidifying the rhythmic nature of their communication.