By Megan Gannon, News Editor | April 18, 2014 10:11am ET
Chimpanzees are quite choosy when it comes to their sleeping arrangements, and new research suggests the apes prefer a firm bed made from stiff, resilient wood.
Like humans, chimpanzees depend on a good night's sleep to function well the next day, but chimps don't tuck themselves into the same bed each night. Instead, the primates build a new nest each evening, from scratch. High up in the forest canopy, the animals interlace strong stems and foliage into a basketweave, creating a thick, springy "mattress" that sinks in the middle.
Scientists have known that chimpanzees build these sleeping platforms since Jane Goodall famously studied the apes in Tanzania's Gombe Stream National Park
in the 1960s. There seem to be several advantages to snoozing high off the forest floor. In 2011, one intrepid Cambridge researcher who slept in wild chimpanzee nests for six nights reported that the nests kept her warm and relatively free of bug bites; they also eased her worries about the hyenas she heard calling in the night.
in the 1960s. There seem to be several advantages to snoozing high off the forest floor. In 2011, one intrepid Cambridge researcher who slept in wild chimpanzee nests for six nights reported that the nests kept her warm and relatively free of bug bites; they also eased her worries about the hyenas she heard calling in the night.
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