A chimpanzee was filmed using tools to apparently clean the corpse of her adopted son, the first hint that animals other than humans have mortuary practises.

Female chimp Noel, who lives at the Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphange Trust in Zambia, was seen using a stem of grass to remove debris from the teeth of a young male named Thomas, who she had looked after since the death of his own mother four years earlier.

She was one of a number of chimps who surrounded the body for around 20 minutes, gently touching and sniffing Thomas despite offers of food to tempt them away.

But it was Noel who appeared to be the most upset, staying on her own to clean the teeth of her adopted son, even when the others had left.