Research alert! Everyone has a favorite childhood game they would play with their friends. No matter what age you are, it's always fun to spend time with friends - and it's such a vital part of our lives! You may have heard the term "social play" before, but in case you're unfamiliar, it's any form of playtime activity that allows children to interact with each other. This helps children develop key social skills, and it's an extremely important part of the development of both humans and chimpanzees! During social play, young chimpanzees learn a lot of important behavioral, physical and social skills that they carry on into adulthood. A recent study titled "The relationship between social play and developmental milestones in wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii)" explores social play in chimpanzees by analyzing 33 years of behavioral data recorded at Gombe Stream National Park, in Tanzania - where Dr. Jane Goodall began her groundbreaking study on chimpanzees that has carried on for over 60 years! This fascinating research delves into the relationship between social play among chimpanzee infants and their development of motor skills. You can read this insightful research in “The relationship between social play and developmental milestones in wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii)” by Matthew R. Heintz, Carson M. Murray, A. Catherine Markham, Anne E. Pusey and Elizabeth V. Lonsdorf. —> LINK IN BIO! Are you inspired by the research Dr. Goodall shared from Gombe, Tanzania? Did you know that research continues to this day through JGI's Gombe Stream Research Center - the longest running wild chimpanzee study in the world? Learn more about the Gombe ecosystem and how you can support JGI's research by becoming a Gombe Science Hero —> LINK IN BIO! . . . . . . . . #Chimpanzees #JaneGoodall #DrJaneGoodall #DrGoodall #Chimps #chimpanzeesofinstagram #AnimalLovers #AnimalLove #Wildlife #WildlifePhotography #Gombe #Tanzania #WildlifeLovers #AfricanWildlife #TanzanianWildlife #Conservation #CommunityledConservation #WildlifeConservation