Friday, 31 Oct 2025
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • DMCA
logo logo
  • World
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Economy
  • Tech & Science
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • More
    • Education
    • Celebrities
    • Culture and Arts
    • Environment
    • Health and Wellness
    • Lifestyle
  • 🔥
  • Trump
  • VIDEO
  • House
  • White
  • ScienceAlert
  • Trumps
  • Watch
  • man
  • Health
  • Season
Font ResizerAa
American FocusAmerican Focus
Search
  • World
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Economy
  • Tech & Science
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • More
    • Education
    • Celebrities
    • Culture and Arts
    • Environment
    • Health and Wellness
    • Lifestyle
Follow US
© 2024 americanfocus.online – All Rights Reserved.
American Focus > Blog > Tech and Science > ‘Chimpfluencers’ Are Sticking Grass in Their Ears And Butts in Latest Viral Trend : ScienceAlert
Tech and Science

‘Chimpfluencers’ Are Sticking Grass in Their Ears And Butts in Latest Viral Trend : ScienceAlert

Last updated: July 9, 2025 10:24 am
Share
‘Chimpfluencers’ Are Sticking Grass in Their Ears And Butts in Latest Viral Trend : ScienceAlert
SHARE

Chimpfluencers Are Setting Trends with Grass Accessories

Imagine if chimpanzees had access to TikTok – the platform might soon be flooded with videos of ‘chimpfluencers’ wearing grass in their ears and butts, the latest trend going around a chimp sanctuary in Africa.

In August 2023, at the Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage Trust sanctuary in Zambia, a trendsetting chimp named Juma was spotted sticking a piece of grass into his ear, deep enough to stay there on its own. Within a week, the trend went viral as four other chimps in the group started copying his unusual accessory.

Not to be outdone, later that month Juma debuted a risqué variation: he inserted a blade of grass into his rectum and left it dangling. This unorthodox trend also caught on, with five other chimps adopting the strange new fashion.

The behavior intrigued researchers observing the captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). The grass didn’t seem to serve a biological purpose, such as scratching itchy ears or butts. Instead, the team hypothesized that it might serve a social purpose.

“By copying someone else’s behavior, you show that you notice and maybe even like that individual. So, it might help strengthen social bonds and create a sense of belonging within the group, just like it does in humans,” says Edwin van Leeuwen, a biologist at Utrecht University in the Netherlands.

Chimpfluencers Are Sticking Grass in Their Ears And Butts in Latest Cultural Trend
A chimp showing off its trendy new ear grass. (Jake Brooker/Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage Trust)

Intriguingly, this event wasn’t the first time Chimfunshi chimps had decorated their orifices with grass. An original trendsetter named Julie started the whole grass-in-ear thing back in 2010, which caught on with seven other chimps. The behavior continues to this day among the group, even after Julie’s passing.

See also  PayPal taps wallets from China and India to make cross-border payments easier for 2 billion people

This phenomenon seems to be a case of social learning and cultural transmission. It’s noteworthy that more than a decade after Julie, Juma came up with the idea independently, as his group never had contact with hers.

The researchers suggest that fads with no clear purpose could be a remnant of the ability to learn new survival skills. It’s interesting that wild chimps haven’t been observed following ‘useless’ trends – only captive ones seem to have enough time on their hands.

“Chimpanzees can socially learn novel skills and primarily use them in contexts of personal interest, like nut-cracking and termite fishing,” the researchers write in a paper about their observations.

“Yet, when selection pressures relax (e.g., due to systematic provisioning in captive care), chimpanzees may extend their social learning occasionally to behaviors without direct instrumental utility.”

Non-functional cultural trends aren’t unique to chimps either. In recent years, orcas have been seen wearing dead salmon on their heads like hats and sinking boats in European waters – both of which seem to be fads.

Studying animal cultures could help us learn more about our own. After all, is sticking grass in your butt really that different from planking or eating laundry detergent pods?

The research was published in the journal Behaviour.

TAGGED:ButtsChimpfluencersEarsgrassLatestScienceAlertStickingTrendViral
Share This Article
Twitter Email Copy Link Print
Previous Article 35 Fun Name Games To Try With Your New Class 35 Fun Name Games To Try With Your New Class
Next Article Inside Million Dollar Sellers, a community of 700 Amazon sellers doing 7-figures in annual revenue Inside Million Dollar Sellers, a community of 700 Amazon sellers doing 7-figures in annual revenue
Leave a comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Popular Posts

Missouri College Student Arrested After Discussing Car Vandalism Spree with ChatGPT | The Gateway Pundit | by Cassandra MacDonald

A 19-Year-Old Student's Encounter with Justice: A Vandalism Spree and AI's Role Ryan Joseph Schaefer,…

October 5, 2025

Ninja Artisan Electric Outdoor Pizza Oven and Air Fryer review: Easy as Pie

The Ninja Artisan Electric Outdoor Pizza Oven and Air Fryer is a game-changer for pizza…

July 4, 2025

Trump Whisperers Steven Paul and Scott Karol on a Foreign Film Tariff

Steven Paul, a well-known producer and longtime manager to Jon Voight, recently visited Mar-a-Lago with…

May 9, 2025

Explosions Heard At 3 Pakistan Air Bases Including Nur Khan: Reports

New Delhi: A series of powerful explosions rocked several Pakistani air bases early Saturday, including…

May 9, 2025

Ranking five Premier League title contenders for 2025-26: Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and more

Arsenal had the third-best attack in the league this season, but they also had the…

April 27, 2025

You Might Also Like

iPhone 17 Tips and Tricks That Pros Use
Tech and Science

iPhone 17 Tips and Tricks That Pros Use

October 31, 2025
Deep Beneath The Pacific Ocean, Earth’s Crust Is Tearing Itself Apart : ScienceAlert
Tech and Science

Deep Beneath The Pacific Ocean, Earth’s Crust Is Tearing Itself Apart : ScienceAlert

October 31, 2025
AI mania tanks CoreWeave’s Core Scientific acquisition; it buys Python notebook Marimo
Tech and Science

AI mania tanks CoreWeave’s Core Scientific acquisition; it buys Python notebook Marimo

October 31, 2025
How Supermassive Black Holes Can Become Cosmic Nightmares
Tech and Science

How Supermassive Black Holes Can Become Cosmic Nightmares

October 31, 2025
logo logo
Facebook Twitter Youtube

About US


Explore global affairs, political insights, and linguistic origins. Stay informed with our comprehensive coverage of world news, politics, and Lifestyle.

Top Categories
  • Crime
  • Environment
  • Sports
  • Tech and Science
Usefull Links
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • DMCA

© 2024 americanfocus.online –  All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?