A cut above? Chimpanzees understand how to play rock-paper-scissors

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Chimpanzees can understand how to play rock-paper-scissors, Japanese primatologists have claimed.

Footage released by Kyoto University in Japan purports to show a chimp making selections that indicate it knows how the game works.

It shows the ape seemingly understands that paper beats rock, rock beats scissors, and scissors beats paper.

The study at the university’s Primate Research Institute trained seven chimpanzees the winning options, using a computer-controlled task.

Results indicated five of them had learnt the pattern, according to the institute.

The chimpanzee’s performance was comparable to that of a four-year-old child, however, the primate took longer to grasp the game than the children, researchers said.