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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Nest Building Behavior as an Early Indicator of Behavioral Deficits in Mice

Nest Building Behavior as an Early Indicator of Behavioral Deficits in Mice

Published on: October 19, 2019

Do chimpanzees build comfortable nests?

Fiona A Stewart¹, Jill D Pruetz, Mike H Hansell

¹Division of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, IBLS, Graham Kerr Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, UK. fas31@cam.ac.uk

American Journal of Primatology

|March 16, 2007

Summary

Wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) build nests prioritizing comfort. Nest complexity enhances sleeping comfort, while greater construction force can increase discomfort, especially at the nest

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Nest Building as an Indicator of Health and Welfare in Laboratory Mice

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Last Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Nest Building Behavior as an Early Indicator of Behavioral Deficits in Mice

Nest Building Behavior as an Early Indicator of Behavioral Deficits in Mice

Published on: October 19, 2019

Nest Building as an Indicator of Health and Welfare in Laboratory Mice

Nest Building as an Indicator of Health and Welfare in Laboratory Mice

Published on: December 24, 2013

Area of Science:

Primatology
Behavioral Ecology
Anthropology

Background:

Wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) construct daily nests for sleeping and resting.
Understanding the factors influencing nest construction is crucial for comprehending chimpanzee behavior and ecology.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of comfort in chimpanzee nest building behavior.
To relate measures of nest comfort with construction effort in wild chimpanzees.

Main Methods:

Studied 25 nests at the Fongoli research site in Senegal.
Assessed nest comfort (physical discomfort, visible discomfort, softness) and building effort (construction force, complexity, added material).
Used Spearman rank correlations to compare effort and comfort measures for whole nests and central/edge zones.

Main Results:

Construction force and complexity did not influence overall nest comfort.
Greater construction force correlated with increased discomfort at the nest edge, but not the center.
Nest complexity positively influenced comfort in the central nest area.

Conclusions:

Chimpanzees may employ strategies, like adding material, to enhance central nest comfort.
Comfort appears to be a significant factor in chimpanzee nest building behavior.
Nest building functions likely include multiple factors, with comfort being one key element.