Some chimpanzees in West Africa repeatedly throw rocks at particular trees, creating piles of stones that can remain in use for more than a decade. Researchers think this unusual behavior may be cultural and could serve as a form of communication, territorial signaling, or something more symbolic. Camera traps and audio recordings are now being used to reveal who throws the stones and how nearby chimpanzees respond.
Somehow they managed to only use AVI files, but the videos are all very fascinating. Makes me think it’s like a “wishing well” ritual, throw a stone at the tree and… *something* - I’m not sure what they get out of it, but it’s cool.
They obviously wished for fame and the tree obliged.