It looks like humans arent the only ones who occasionally go the bathroom in groups.
A study out this week shows that peeing can sometimes be contagious among chimpanzees, too.
Scientists at Kyoto University in Japan led the research, which waspublishedMonday in the journalCurrent Biology.
Chimpanzees at the Kumamoto Sanctuary holding orange slices.© Kumamoto Sanctuary
This phenomenon might be shaped by the social hierarchy of our primate cousins, the researchers say.
As is often the case in science, lead researcher Ena Onishis inspiration to conduct this study came unexpectedly.
They found that the chimps generally tended to pee more often after a fellow chimp had just peed.
But there were certain patterns to this contagious urination.
But social class also appeared to influence the odds of a chimp peeing after another.
[We] found that lower-ranking individuals were more likely to follow others in urinating.
This further supports the idea that urination has a contagious and socially influenced component in chimpanzees, Onishi said.
The act of positively mimicking a fellow chimp might also itself strengthen bonds between them.
Whatever the reason, the researchers have plenty of peeing-related mysteries left to uncover.
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And in a new study Friday, researchers have found that some of these bites are wholly defensive.
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