How Do Monkeys and Apes Trim Their Fingernails?

Have you ever seen a monkey getting a manicure?

Though that line sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, it actually has some scientific merit. Monkeys and apes are primates, an order of mammals that have forward-facing eyes, large brains compared with their body weight, and—where other mammals have claws or hooves—flat nails on their fingers and toes. (Some primates do have claws, but that’s in addition to a flat nail on the big toe.)

Fingernails and toenails act as protective barriers for the vulnerable skin beneath, but that’s not their only purpose. Fingernails help primates, including humans, pick up small objects, maintain a tight grip, and perform fine motor movements. Clawed mammals may be best for scratching into tree bark, digging, and climbing, but there’s no beating nails for scratching an itch or typing out a text message. If fingernails grow too long and become clawlike, they actually become less useful. Nail extensions or long natural nails can impede primates’ normal finger movements. For monkeys and apes, long nails could impede their ability to pick off insects during grooming.

But without manicures, pedicures, or even nail clippers, how do monkeys and apes care for their nails? (Though not all are lacking in these amenities; some animals in captivity use human tools such as nail files.)

Monkeys and apes have been observed using a variety of methods to keep their nails trimmed, though there isn’t one definitive habit that unites the nonhuman primates. That’s because the way they choose to groom their nails is ultimately a matter of personal preference: biting works, as does simply waiting for the nails to grow too long and break off on their own. A monkey or ape’s daily activities probably help keep the nails short—climbing trees, harvesting bamboo shoots, and getting into fights with rivals may all easily result in breaking a nail or two.

Plus, there’s personal style to consider. As a chimpanzee sanctuary worker wrote of an interaction between two chimps:

Annie likes to pick Missy’s nose. Missy tolerates it but doesn’t seem to enjoy it. I don’t blame her—Annie doesn’t bite her nails down like the other chimps do.

Like humans who prefer growing out their nails despite the adjustment needed to type or text, it seems like some monkeys and chimps don’t mind the adjustments that come with long nails. Even if it does make it more difficult to pick a friend’s nose.