Chimpanzees Observed Hunting With Spears In The Wild

[Trichome Toker]

Chimpanzees 'hunt using spears'
Chimp tool Image: Current Biology
Chimps sharpened the spears with their teeth
Chimpanzees in Senegal have been observed making and using wooden spears to hunt other primates, according to a study in the journal Current Biology.

Researchers documented 22 cases of chimps fashioning tools to jab at smaller primates sheltering in cavities of hollow branches or tree trunks.

The report's authors, Jill Pruetz and Paco Bertolani, said the finding could have implications for human evolution.

Chimps had not been previously observed hunting other animals with tools.

Pruetz and Bertolani made the discovery at their research site in Fongoli, Senegal, between March 2005 and July 2006.

"There were hints that this behaviour might occur, but it was one time at a different site," said Jill Pruetz, assistant professor of anthropology at Iowa State University, US.

"While in Senegal for the spring semester, I saw about 13 different hunting bouts. So it really is habitual."

Jabbing weapon

Chimpanzees were observed jabbing the spears into hollow trunks or branches, over and over again. After the chimp removed the tool, it would frequently smell or lick it.

In the vast majority of cases, the chimps used the tools in the manner of a spear, not as probes. The researchers say they were using enough force to injure an animal that may have been hiding inside.

However, they did not photograph the behaviour, or capture it on film.

Senegal chimp Image: Iowa State University
Adolescent females exhibited the behaviour most frequently (Image: M Gaspersic)
In one case, Pruetz and Bertolani, from the Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies in Cambridge, UK, witnessed a chimpanzee extract a bushbaby with a spear.

In most cases, the Fongoli chimpanzees carried out four or more steps to manufacture spears for hunting.

In all but one of the cases, chimps broke off a living branch to make their tool. They would then trim the side branches and leaves.

In a number of cases, chimps also trimmed the ends of the branch and stripped it of bark. Some chimps also sharpened the tip of the tool with their teeth.

Female lead

Adult males have long been regarded as the hunters in chimp groups.

But the authors of the paper in Current Biology said females, particularly adolescent females, and young chimps in general were seen exhibiting this behaviour more frequently than adult males.

"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," said Dr Pruetz, who led the National Geographic Society-funded project.

This is because young chimps pick the skill up from their mothers, with whom they spend a lot of their time.

"It's a niche that males seem to ignore," Dr Pruetz told BBC News.

Many areas where chimpanzees live are also home to the red colobus monkey, which the chimps hunt. However, the Senegal site is lacking in this species, so chimps may have needed to adopt a new hunting strategy to catch a different prey - bushbaby.

The authors conclude that their findings support a theory that females may have played a similarly important role in the evolution of tool technology among early humans.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6387611.stm

 

[genkisan]

Super neat article!!

 

[Trichome Toker]

Thanks.

Here is one of the spears they made:

That gives me the chills!

If people don't believe we have a common ancestor with chimps now, I don't think they ever will.

As far as I am concerned, this is just as profound as if we had found life on another planet.

They need to go back and film this behavior, and fully document it, and this needs to be on every news program for the next month.

This is such an amazing observation on so many different levels.

I personally would actually like to try and teach chimps artificially, I wish I could go to the jungle and try to give them new tools to use, and teach them as best I can.

If we had spent half of the resources we spent on selectively breeding cows & dogs in the last 10,000 years on breeding chimps...

Man oh man!

We would have some fantastically smart chimps.

I want chimp farms, chimp breeding etc.

This is to valuable a species not to breed it into large populations like has happened with humans and cows etc.

 

[Marcellas]

Thanks.

Here is one of the spears they made:

That gives me the chills!

If people don't believe we have a common ancestor with chimps now, I don't think they ever will.

As far as I am concerned, this is just as profound as if we had found life on another planet.

They need to go back and film this behavior, and fully document it, and this needs to be on every news program for the next month.

This is such an amazing observation on so many different levels.

I personally would actually like to try and teach chimps artificially, I wish I could go to the jungle and try to give them new tools to use, and teach them as best I can.

If we had spent half of the resources we spent on selectively breeding cows & dogs in the last 10,000 years on breeding chimps...

Man oh man!

We would have some fantastically smart chimps.

I want chimp farms, chimp breeding etc.

This is to valuable a species not to breed it into large populations like has happened with humans and cows etc.

than eventually chimps would take over and dominate thte world!! crazy

 

[SuperZero]

W

 

[killa-bud]

yea its cool and all,but its nothing they havent done before,there stabing a fucking tree,its not like there going out and hunting,theres a video some where,i was pretty instersted untill i saw that vid,

here http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/02/070222-chimp-video.html

 

[genkisan]

Chimps use sticks to eat ants, isn't it possible the youngsters don't know any better and are thinking it's like gathering ants out of the hole, hence them sniffing and licking the end of the stick?

No.


Not at all.


Chimps use twigs to "fish" for termites, not ants, and they teach it to their young. It is not an easy thing to do, and most human researchers who try to replicate the activity never get any termites....

The action of stabbing and the careful, delicate actions used in termite fishing are totally different.

 

[Trichome Toker]

In one case, Pruetz and Bertolani, from the Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies in Cambridge, UK, witnessed a chimpanzee extract a bushbaby with a spear.

One of the chimps speared an entire animal and ate it, the article says that.

Also, the fact that they are taking branches, stripping them of leafs, and sharpening them, shows just how intelligent they are.

As far as what we do with the chimps?

I think the most practical thing is have them replace the dog, like a pet, that way they can observe humans and learn what little they can comprehend from our behavior.

If we domesticated the wolf, we can domesticate the chimp.

We all ready have with many chimps, but it needs to be on a huge scale.

I don't know how anyone can say this is "nothing new".

Termite fishing is very great, and it shows their intelligence before this, but just look at that spear!

That spear has potential for so much more than termite fishing.

It is tools like that, which catapulted the human race into the most dominate species.

They are starting to bring down bigger game with tools.

Only a matter of time before they start co-ordinating gang attacks on even larger game.

They are developing the exact same weapons primitive humans did.

Think about it.

All the people who say "oh yeah right, humans couldn't have evolved from apes, no way, do you see apes doing this or that etc".

Now look you have chimps making spears for fuck's sake!

They are making spears and stabbing small animals with them, and eating those animals!

Just like prehistoric humans did.

Fucking amazing.

Like I said, this is no different than discovering aliens on Mars in my opinion, same level of insanity.

Here you have what I consider clear evidence that chimps are slowly evolving into something similar to humans before our very eyes.

We are not alone, we are not the only intelligent being evolving and getting smart over time in the Universe.

Hell we have other intelligent beings evolving on our own planet!

 

[Guest]

It is tools like that, which catapulted the human race into the most dominate species.

A snap shot of evolution right there, mind blowing stuff..

Nice thread.

Peace, hhf

 

[SuperZero]

C

 

[The Budfather]

The reason we cannot mass "teach" chimps is because they need intense one on one programs they need lots of consistent stimulation.... its a bit like someone with autism.... chimps have always been a violent group, weeding out the weak members of the group.

i personaly dont wanna play god and take them outta their enviorment

birds are extremely intelligent my macaw is now 2 years old he was hatched on 4/20(No bullshit) hes learning lotsa new phrases every month with lots of daily interaction they make very good pets but are difficult because their natural calls are loud

really quick he can let himself outta the cage so i had to put locks on

 

[chuckyoufarley]

PLANET OF THE APES

 

[Trichome Toker]

Cornelius: [reading from the sacred scrolls of the apes] Beware the beast man, for he is the Devil's pawn. Alone among God's primates, he kills for sport or lust or greed. Yea, he will murder his brother to possess his brother's land. Let him not breed in great numbers, for he will make a desert of his home and yours. Shun him; drive him back into his jungle lair, for he is the harbinger of death.

 

[keetypoo420]

When I first saw the the topic i thought is was about Brittney Spears hunting monkeys

 

[trem0lo]

PLANET OF THE APES

"You maniacs... you blew it up! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell!"