Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Chimps Use Tool Kit

Posted by michael on from the CTK? dept.

Wannabe Code Monkey writes "This article on National Geographic describes how scientists have observed chimps using different sticks for different tasks when retrieving termites from nests. Scientists had previously only seen chimps using one kind of tool, this switching back and forth based on the task at hand is the first such behavior witnessed. Three videos in Real format of the chimps are linked from the article as well."

6 of 44 comments (clear)

  1. No surprise ... by Daniel+Dvorkin · · Score: 4, Funny

    Why, just the other day, I saw Bush use one microphone to bash Kerry, and then another to claim that going to war in Iraq has made America safer. Those critters are smarter than we think!

    --
    The correlation between ignorance of statistics and using "correlation is not causation" as an argument is close to 1.
  2. levels of intelligence... by CodeWanker · · Score: 4, Funny

    My dad always told me that "A dog will warm himself by the fire, but will never throw another log on it." So now, I guess a chimp will add fuel, but won't get one started?

    This also reminds me of that old headline at The Onion: "Dolphins Develop Thumbs: 'Oh Shit,' say Humans"

    --


    "Wow. Now THAT'S a lot of angry Indians." - Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer
    1. Re:levels of intelligence... by fiftyLou · · Score: 5, Insightful


      My dad always told me that "A dog will warm himself by the fire, but will never throw another log on it."

      Hmm, and when he made this observation were you usually flaked out on the couch instead of out mowing the lawn or the like?

      Nothing like subtle digs from dad.

  3. Re:Does this mean chimps like the UNIX philosophy? by Dr.+GeneMachine · · Score: 5, Funny

    Wrong conclusion - this only proves that UNIX was designed by chimps...

    --
    This comment does not exist.
  4. Specific groups ... by gstoddart · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Every time I've seen any coverage of tool-using chimps (OK, Discovery and National Geographic) they've highlighted that the tool usage among chimps is usually unique to a specific group of chimps and is learned behaviour.

    If you put a chimp in a new place where certain types of tools get used, it won't 'know' that tool is the applicable one. Likewise, young chimps take a while to actually learn to use the tool for what they're trying to accomplish.

    I wonder if this is a recently adapted tool by this group of chimps, or if this is a tool variation like most of the others that have been passed down within this group of chimps.

    Nonetheless, it's interesting to get the insight as to how we might have developed/evolved our tool using capabilities.

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  5. It's about time by dheltzel · · Score: 4, Funny

    When you only have one kind of stick, every problem looks like a termite.