WMDs Found In Senegal!
By Catherine Scullion
Two primatologists have recorded the first cases of chimpanzees using spears to hunt prey. The discovery of these Weapons of Monkey Destruction could have important implications for theories of human evolution.
Though not as dangerous as the more well-publicised WMDs (unless you’re a small primate), the weapons are fashioned with care by the chimps.
Jill Pruetz and Paco Bertolani, authors of the study, found that the chimps living in Fongoli, Senegal were using living branches from which they stripped the leaves and sometimes sharpened the tip with their teeth.
The weapon was then used to jab into holes in tree trunks in search of bushbabies. Though who knows when they will turn to a more challenging prey!
According to Pruetz the behaviour seems so novel that it has not yet spread throughout the population. "It's classic in primates that when there is a new innovation, particularly in terms of tool use, the younger generations pick it up very quickly. The last ones to pick up are adults, mainly the males."
This pattern has led the authors to suggest that women may have played a significant role in the development of tools by our own species. The report was published in the journal Current Biology.
National Geographic have a little video about this, but they don’t actually show the behaviour itself. You can watch it here. On the other hand you could just go to Catherine’s homepage and enjoy more unlikely science.
Or for more monkey buissness check out these other articles:
- Interestng - Monkeys take to the streets
- Bizarre - Real monkey business
- Funny - Chimps swing both ways
- Cute - Monkey's moral codes
Though not as dangerous as the more well-publicised WMDs (unless you’re a small primate), the weapons are fashioned with care by the chimps.
Jill Pruetz and Paco Bertolani, authors of the study, found that the chimps living in Fongoli, Senegal were using living branches from which they stripped the leaves and sometimes sharpened the tip with their teeth.
The weapon was then used to jab into holes in tree trunks in search of bushbabies. Though who knows when they will turn to a more challenging prey!
According to Pruetz the behaviour seems so novel that it has not yet spread throughout the population. "It's classic in primates that when there is a new innovation, particularly in terms of tool use, the younger generations pick it up very quickly. The last ones to pick up are adults, mainly the males."
This pattern has led the authors to suggest that women may have played a significant role in the development of tools by our own species. The report was published in the journal Current Biology.
National Geographic have a little video about this, but they don’t actually show the behaviour itself. You can watch it here. On the other hand you could just go to Catherine’s homepage and enjoy more unlikely science.
Or for more monkey buissness check out these other articles:
- Interestng - Monkeys take to the streets
- Bizarre - Real monkey business
- Funny - Chimps swing both ways
- Cute - Monkey's moral codes
Image: Hagit M.
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