Chimpanzees choose their beds with the same care and attention to comfort as their human cousins, research has shown.

And just like many people, they prefer a mattress that is both springy and firm.

The apes build high sleeping platforms out of branches, but are fussy about what tree species they take them from.

Scientists found that the favourite bed material for chimps on the Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve in Uganda was Cynometra alexandri, known locally as ‘ironwood’ because of its density and strength.

Yet ironwood accounted for just 9.6 per cent of trees in the area studied.

Of 1,844 chimp nests examined by the researchers on the 548-square-kilometre reserve, 73.6 per cent were constructed from C.alexandri.

Chimpanzees, like humans, are highly selective when it comes to where they sleep

Tests on 326 branches from seven tree species most often used to build chimpanzee beds showed that ironwood was the stiffest and had the greatest bending strength.

It was therefore ideal for comfortably supporting an ape weighing 30 kilograms or more.

C.alexandri also had the smallest leaf surface area, and the narrowest gaps between leaves on the branches.

Chimpanzees building nests weave together branches and foliage to create a thick springy ‘mattress’ which can be anything from 10 to 150 feet off the ground.

Sleeping platforms provide protection from predators, and help to regulate temperature and keep biting insects at bay.

But another purpose is simply to allow a good night’s sleep, scientists believe.