How chimpanzee tool use provides insight into early human behaviour

Bob McDonald · CBC Radio

· Posted: Apr 04, 2025 11:53 AM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

Since Jane Goodall's groundbreaking discovery in 1960 that chimpanzees successful Gombe Stream National Park successful Tanzania usage tools to food termites retired of their mounds, further probe has recovered that they usage a assortment of antithetic tools to suit circumstantial purposes.

Chimps person been recovered to use longer sticks to probe histrion ant colonies, rocks arsenic hammers to unfastened fruit, and big sticks to question astir and propulsion similar weapons to ward disconnected intruders.

In March, researchers from the University of Oxford studying successful the aforesaid portion published a study in the online diary iScience showing that chimps besides use engineering skills by choosing materials with circumstantial mechanical properties to usage arsenic tools.

Termite mounds, for example, impact tunnels that curve successful antithetic directions. When the researchers examined which plants the chimps selected retired of each those available, it was the much flexible twigs that were fashioned into probes to negociate the tunnels and seizure much food. 

And the much rigid plants nearby? They were ne'er chosen by the chimps, suggesting they person immoderate benignant of an intuitive knowing of worldly properties to assistance them trade the champion tools for the job.

In engineering terms, the chimps are selecting materials for spot and flexibility depending connected the application. The aforesaid rule is utilized erstwhile designing structures specified arsenic a bridges, which need to beryllium beardown capable to transportation the load, yet airy value and flexible capable to sorb vibrations from postulation and wind.

Tool making requires thought and determination making. It's besides a accomplishment that is passed down done generations, arsenic young chimps ticker and imitate their parents to larn however to usage the tools.

Tool usage has been recovered passim the carnal kingdom, from crows, otters, octopi, and arsenic you volition perceive connected this occurrence of Quirks & Quarks, adjacent fish. 

Humans person decidedly been demoted arsenic the lone toolmakers.

When it comes to our quality ancestors, astir tools we find are made of stone, with the oldest recovered successful Kenya dating backmost 3.3 cardinal years. These aboriginal tools, perchance utilized by Homo habilis (which means "handy man") were made by simply hitting 2 rocks unneurotic to get a required shape, specified arsenic a pointed borderline to usage for chopping. 

Over time, chromatic tools became much complex, inactive utilizing 2 stones, 1 to go the tool, the different a hammer to either spot distant an borderline of the instrumentality to go a scraper, oregon onslaught disconnected tiny crisp flakes for cutting. 

But it raises the question of however galore different tools our ancestors made that were not made of stone. Did they use the aforesaid engineering skills arsenic chimpanzees to manner tools retired of wood? Unfortunately, wood does not sphere good successful the fossil record. The oldest woody tools recovered successful Zambia are overmuch younger, made 476,000 years ago by Homo sapiens. 

However, determination is 1 instrumentality fashioned from bony that has been dated to 1.5 cardinal years ago, suggesting our distant ancestors did usage different materials.

Take a look successful your room drawer astatine each the antithetic tools and the materials they are made from. You whitethorn person a stainless alloy carving weapon beside a integrative spatula. Perhaps Homo habilis carried an arsenic varied instrumentality kit made of a assortment of materials, each suited to a antithetic purpose. 

We whitethorn ne'er find the reply to that question, but possibly chimpanzees tin supply immoderate insight.