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Study explores why chimp mothers keep carrying lost infants

Source dated 16 Sept 2026 · Brief by 20 Today
Selected 20 Sept 2026, 01:42 BST · 24-hour selection ended 21 Sept 2026, 01:42 BST

An Oxford-led analysis has compared 83 reported cases in which chimpanzee or bonobo mothers carried infants after death.

Conceptual chimpanzee in a forest, not a photograph of the study animals

The researchers found relationships with maternal bonds, the cause of death and environmental conditions. The study does not establish whether the animals understand death as irreversible.

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University of Oxford ↗ (opens a new tab)

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AI-assisted original summary, checked against the linked source on 20 Sept 2026, 01:14 BST. Illustration is AI generated and does not document the event.

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