Humans often go to the restroom together during breaks or between classes. A new study has revealed that chimpanzees, one of our closest relatives, also exhibit a similar behavior called "socially contagious urination."
A team of researchers from Kyoto University's Wildlife Research Center and Institute for Advanced Study published their findings in Current Biology on January 20. Their study reveals that "contagious urination," a behavior commonly seen in human societies, is also observed in chimpanzees, one of our closest relatives.
Over 600 hours of observation were conducted on 20 captive chimpanzees, during which researchers recorded 1,328 instances of urination. The team compared these real-life observations, labeled as "Observation," with a computer simulation called "Simulation," which assumed random urination events. The results revealed that chimpanzees’ urination behavior was significantly more synchronized than expected by chance, indicating the influence of social factors.
Further analysis revealed that chimpanzees were more likely to urinate shortly after another individual nearby had done so, indicating that the behavior is "contagious." Additionally, individuals with lower social rankings were more likely to follow others in urinating.
The researchers suggest that synchronized urination may serve various purposes, such as coordinating group activities, transmitting information through urine, or efficiently marking territory as a group.
Viewer Comments:
Next, we should see if they use bottles or not.
I totally get how lower-ranking members are more likely to join later.
I think they’re looking at each other’s dicks.
Source:
https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(24)01594-X
https://www.wrc.kyoto-u.ac.jp/ja/publications/EnaOnishi/Onishi2025-cb.html
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