Nestmaking is one of my favorite chimpanzee behaviors to watch. Although each chimp has his or her own style, the basics are the same. A chimp will add one blanket at a time to the nest, arranging it so that it’s perfectly placed before continuing. Precision and focus are the name of the game.
Typically, the purpose of building a nest is to have a comfortable place to rest. But sometimes, it seems that the object is the process rather than the result. Missy spent several minutes building this nest in the greenhouse this afternoon, and just a moment after she had placed the last blanket, she leaped out of it and ran off to her next adventure.
Even after all these years and never having lived wild, it’s amazing how strong some of these instincts are!
“and just a moment after she had placed the last blanket,
she leaped out of it and ran off to her next adventure.”
this made me bust out laughing.. THAT girl.. GO MISSY GO!
Did anyone use the nest?
I didn’t see anyone in that nest, but I did catch Jody stealing the blankets later that afternoon to make her own nest.