chimpanzees.

Visits to the zoo offer us a chance to see wild animals up close, but what we don't always see is the true nature of these creatures. Living in exhibits, these animals aren't exposed to all the excitement and threats that the open world offers, but sometimes there is an occasional surprise. Recently at the St. Louis Zoo, a raccoon somehow wiggled its way into the chimpanzee enclosure. Without the wall of glass as protection, the raccoon saw firsthand the wilder side of these animals. The primates react to their vistor with the rough play they are genetically predisposed to. Aware this crowd may be too rough for him, the raccoon works on making a quick exit before things become too ...

Handshakes aren't just for humans anymore. According to Live Science, the hand-holding behavior seen in chimpanzees during grooming is the animals' form of a secret handshake, and it changes among different groups of chimps. Researchers have noticed that how these primates hold hands varies from group to group. No genetic or environmental factors have been found that could be responsible for the change, leaving cultural expression as a possible explanation. The behavior being studied is called a hand-clasp. It's the action of two chimps grabbing onto each other's arm and raising them in the air in unison while they groom each other with their free hands. Groups of chimps approach the ...