Chimpanzee drumming may give clues to the roots of rhythm

Wild chimpanzees drum on tree roots in specific rhythms to communicate across long distances. These rhythms differ between populations — western chimps (Pan troglodytes verus) thump in evenly spaced beats, while their eastern counterparts (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) take alternating long and short pauses after beats. A separate study explored how Western chimps drum by throwing stones against trees. Researchers suggest the behaviours are influenced by the social dynamics of the animals’ groups, and could hint at the evolutionary origins of musicality.