
Some Chimps Are Putting Grass in Their Ears (2014) - suprgeek
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/animal-fashion-some-chimps-are-putting-grass-ears-and-nobody-knows-why-180951888
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jschwartzi
When I was at university, I was told a story that some of the chimps that were
kept in the primate house at the school started popping the collars on their
shirts after they saw humans doing the same thing.

And yes, the chimps had clothes, and toys.

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puranjay
I can't upvote this joke enough!

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rangibaby
?

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mmlb
I think puranjay interpreted the snippet as a joke referring to college
students in fraternity as the "primates in a primate house".

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wiredfool
The Orcas in Puget sound do something similar with kelp, draped across their
dorsal fin. Helpfully enough, it's called 'kelping'. There doesn't seem to be
a point, other than style.

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mark_integerdsv
So? Some Orcas are fabulous, get used to it.

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nevster
I immediately thought they may be copying humans who seem to all have these
white things trailing from their ears...

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yousry
Did a doctor check the ears. Perhaps it is a contagious ear infection and the
straw is a primitive replacement for a surgical drain to remove the pus.

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amelius
Or they were just trying to fool the behavioral biologists.

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gulpahum
Some monkeys are also flossing their teeth and teaching it to their children.
Smart animals.

[http://www.allaboutwildlife.com/2009-10/monkeys-teach-
their-...](http://www.allaboutwildlife.com/2009-10/monkeys-teach-their-young-
to-floss-teeth/3148)

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dharma1
In-ear grass is so 2014. But still beats AirPods

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geooooooooobox
well not surprising, I mean try explaining to any organisms studying humans as
to why we(humans) take so many selfies....for no particular reason....

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trentmb
I use qtips in my ear canal (even though i shouldnt) because it feels awesome.

Maybe the chimps get a similar feeling?

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jobigoud
> because it feels awesome

OK. Is this a studied phenomenon? It just feels normal to me, but my
girlfriend is having much stronger reactions to it, like she's pleasuring
herself. It's weird. (She has playfully used the term "ear orgasm"). Maybe
there's a bundle of nerve ending beneath there.

On my side if I touch a specific spot in the left ear it makes me cough for
some reason.

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lgas
The traditional term is "eargasm".

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dazc
This an actual thing?

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throwanem
It sure is. Back years ago, when 512Kbps DSL was fancy new, I had a roommate
who'd go on at length about it, and that was the word he used.

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spamm0r123
Some chimps are putting grass on top of their head and paint their face
orange.

