1 Tahrcountry Musings: Chimpanzees Fashion Spears

Friday, February 23, 2007

Chimpanzees Fashion Spears

The journal current biology has some astonishing information about Chimpanzees. Researchers Jill Pruetz and Paco Bertolani from the center of evolutionary studies, Cambridge, UK, reports that Chimpanzees in Senegal were observed making and using wooden spears to hunt other primates. The chimps adopted four to five steps to fashion the spear. They also trimmed the edge of fashioned spear. Females’ particularly adolescent females were seen to pick up this habit more frequently. Young chimps pick up the habit easily from their mothers. The adult males were lax in this respect. The authors say that this finding also support the theory that females may have played a significant role in the evolution of use of tool in early humans.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have often wondered about what goes on behind the inscrutable face of chimps.They are throwing up surprises.

Anonymous said...

Amazing are the mysteries of nature