Chimpanzee Beats Reveal Rhythmic Roots of Human Communication, New Study Finds

Chimpanzees in different regions of Africa display distinct drumming rhythms in the wild—an ability that researchers say not only serves as long-distance communication but could also hold clues to the evolutionary origins of human rhythm.

A groundbreaking new study published in Current Biology has revealed that chimpanzees drum in rhythm on tree trunks, with striking regional variations between communities in West and East Africa. According to the study, this is more than random noise—these primates use rhythm as a form of social communication, and each chimp even has a unique drumming signature.

Professor Catherine Hobaiter from the University of St. Andrews, lead author of the study, says the findings offer compelling evidence that rhythm is not exclusive to humans. “We could show that not only did chimpanzees have rhythm in their drumming, but they have rhythms, plural,” she explains. “They have different rhythms depending on where they come from.”

For example, chimpanzees in West Africa tend to use a steady, metronome-like beat—referred to in the study as "asynchrony"—while those in East Africa favor an uneven “long-short-long” pattern, akin to “beat, beat, space, beat, beat, space.”

The researchers analyzed 371 drumming episodes recorded over several years in the wild. These drum sequences are created when chimps slap, pound, or kick the large buttress roots of rainforest trees, often while moving through the jungle. The low-frequency sounds produced can travel over a kilometre through dense forest, helping chimps signal their location, movement, or identity to others.

“We know that these drums are important components of chimpanzee social lives,” says Hobaiter. “They drum incredibly fast—much faster than most human drummers—and every individual has their own recognizable drumming style. If I hear a chimp drumming, I know if it’s Fred or Bob in the forest.”

This natural form of rhythmic expression, seen only in wild chimpanzee populations, is in stark contrast to captive chimps, who rarely display such rhythmic ability. That discrepancy had once led scientists to doubt whether rhythm was an innate trait among non-human primates.

The findings now raise the possibility that the human capacity for rhythm—and by extension, music and language—may be deeply rooted in our evolutionary past. Hobaiter and her colleagues believe that rhythmic communication may predate the last common ancestor shared by humans and chimpanzees more than six million years ago.

“This study helps us begin to answer the question: where did rhythm come from? And the answer might be, from deep within our evolutionary history—not just something that makes humans human,” she adds.

Beyond the evolutionary implications, the study also highlights how chimpanzees use rhythm for complex social functions, from identifying group members to navigating forest landscapes.

“They have a lot of flexibility in their drumming,” says Hobaiter. “It gives them lots of opportunity to encode information—who’s drumming, where they are, what they’re doing. It’s a rich way of communicating long distance for them.”

The beat, it seems, goes far deeper than we thought.