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Chimps Found Making Own Weapons to Hunt for Food

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the boards-with-nails dept.

Pojut writes "The Washington Post has an article involving chimps and weapons. Apparently, there have been direct observations of chimps in the west African savannah modifying sticks to create spears. They then use these spears to kill small mammals and eat them. It is the first time that an animal other than a human has been directly observed in crafting a weapon for the purpose of hunting or killing."

6 of 410 comments (clear)

  1. Re:UPDATE: Nearby females notice... by puppetman · · Score: 4, Informative

    It was the females making the tools, not the males. A woman's body-building competition might be more apt here.

  2. Re:Semantics by ericspinder · · Score: 4, Informative

    Sorry, I don't buy the story. Just media sensationalism to me. Actually there is a big difference. Finding stick on ground and knowing that more ants will crawl on it if it is bent a certain way, is one thing. However, finding large stick on ground, taking the time to sharpen it, stalk another animal, and then use it effectively, is something else altogether.
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  3. Re:The next stage of evolution... by Wannabe+Code+Monkey · · Score: 4, Informative

    First this: Evidence of Chimp Developing "Spoken" Language, then this: Chimps Use Tool Kit, and now Chimps Found Making Own Weapons to Hunt for Food. I'm telling you, we gotta get off this rock soon.

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  4. It's not just the chimps. by ScentCone · · Score: 4, Informative

    Crows, it appears , will also use tools to get at grubs they otherwise wouldn't be able to kill and eat. Some critters are smart that way. There are also now observed cases of mother dolphins passing along tool-using culture in food-gathering.

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  5. Re:But from where... by Dun+Malg · · Score: 4, Informative

    I would like to know if this is a learned behavior from an outside source or if this is simply something they have discovered on their own. Chimps are very much like us. They engage in warfare with other chimp tribes, they use "hammer and anvil" tactics in hunting parties--- none of this learned from outside. The idea that nature is some sort of benign place full of happy peaceful animals living in harmony is definitely wishful thinking.
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  6. Re:But from where... by joh · · Score: 4, Informative

    Chimps are very much like us. They engage in warfare with other chimp tribes, they use "hammer and anvil" tactics in hunting parties--- none of this learned from outside.


    There are two species comprising the chimpanzee genus. The common chimp is what you describe, the Pygmy Chimp (also called Bonobo) is much different. Bonobos don't engage in warfare and prefer having sex with each other all day over aggressive encounters. They're much less dominant and aggressive within their tribes, too.

    Both species seem to thrive well. I find it kind of refreshing to see that there are very different social models possible and both work. And while the chimps seem to be more inventive when it comes to killing, the Bonobos are certainly more inventive when it comes to having fun. I think we should learn from them.

    It's also interesting to see that the behaviour of Bonobos seems to be much too unsettling that you will see or read much of it. Even in scientific literature they were more or less taboo for a long time and even today you won't see documentaries showing them having all kinds of sex just for fun (and they really do that all the time, including oral sex, masturbation and homosexual sex).