Surprisingly long-lived wild female chimps go through menopause

It’s the first known example of wild, nonhuman primates going through the hormonal changes

A photo of a female chimp sitting next to another chimp.

A female chimp dubbed Ma Rainey, estimated to be about 68 years old, contributed to a new study that reports the first evidence of menopause in a wild, nonhuman primate species.

Kevin Langergraber/Arizona State University

Female chimps living in an East African forest experience menopause and then survive years, even decades, after becoming biologically unable to reproduce.