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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."

12 of 410 comments (clear)

  1. But from where... by Marnhinn · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I don't much care where the chimps evolve to...

    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.

    --
    There is always a frontier where there is an open and willing mind
    1. Re:But from where... by dosquatch · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Making a weapon requires foresight into the possible effects they may have. I seriously doubt chimps have such cognitive skills.

      Even if it is some form of imitation, doesn't that indicate some grasp of the encompassed cause and effect? Some glimmer of said foresight?

      Otters use flat stones to crack open shellfish. Some apes use sticks to fish for termites. Is this really such a stretch?

      --
      "Hey, the third matrix movie would have been good except for the plot,story, and acting." --AC
    2. Re:But from where... by tomhudson · · Score: 4, Insightful

      " 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."

      Spiders construct webs for hunting and killing. No intelligence required.

    3. Re:But from where... by Belial6 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The internal combustion engine was a very good invention. It has just been kept around much longer than it should have, and has been used in much higher quantities than it should.

    4. Re:But from where... by Brad1138 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      "Spiders construct webs for hunting and killing. No intelligence required."

      I would say that's more akin to moneys trying to kill a victim by flinging poo at them. The stick is a weapon crafted from thier environment, not secreted from them.

      --
      If you could reason with religious people, there would be no religious people
    5. Re:But from where... by bitt3n · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Spiders construct webs for hunting and killing. No intelligence required.
      In that case, the purpose of the web is imputed by the observer, in the same way that one might say that the purpose of the otter's oily coat is to allow the coat to repel water, but the otter need not be aware of this purpose for the coat to fulfill it. In the case of the monkey, the purpose of the spear appears to be imputed by the animal itself. That is likely what the article finds significant.
      --
      how many pairs of boxer shorts should you own?
    6. Re:But from where... by Monsuco · · Score: 3, Insightful

      IAAC, and I take exception to that remark. You humans think you're so superior. Let's see what kind of foresight y'all have expressed recently:
      But man has also invented items of peace, such as beer, there have to be some redeming qualities to that.
      --
      The Gospel according to lolcat
  2. Semantics by duffetta · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Sorry, I don't buy the story. Just media sensationalism to me. Jane Goodall observed chimps "fishing" for ants with twigs quite some time ago. Some of these chimps fashioned the twigs so as to work better. From where I sit, this is just as fantastic as having a chimp fashioning a larger twig to hunt with. Nothing new here except an over active media trying to make something out more out of old news.

    1. Re:Semantics by MightyMartian · · Score: 4, Insightful

      If you read the article, you'll find out that some of the chimps are sharpening the ends, and are not merely fishing, but using force to injure the critters they're hunting. It's definitely spearing, though there's no reason to think that this innovation hasn't been developed from the fishing technique. That is no different than virtually all our technologies, which are rooted in earlier ones.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
  3. Baboons by flyingfsck · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Even Baboons, which are considerably stupider than Chimpanzees, use rocks to crush shell-fish and have been observed throwing rocks in self defence.

    --
    Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!
  4. Re:killing animals making tools? by Dunbal · · Score: 5, Insightful

    By no one's definition of the term could creatures who place a truckload of high explosives into a crowded marketplace and blow hundreds of people to meat chunks be considered human.

          Congratulations. Dehumanization is the first important step down the path to genocide. The jews in Nazi Germany weren't "human" either. Carry on.

    --
    Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
  5. Re:"Hammer and anvil"? by mrogers · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It's something you can't do unless you have not just a pack hierarchy/dominance structure, but also a language/communications system capable of abstracting out concepts like "position" and "time".

    Not necessarily true - the anvil group can be composed of risk-seeking individuals who are willing to fight an equally-matched enemy, while the hammer group is composed of risk-averse individuals who aren't willing to join the fight unless they have a good chance of winning. The anvil group attacks first and in most cases gets bogged down; the hammer group attacks later if it's clear that joining the fight will tip the balance. No need for communication or hierarchy (although I'm not denying that chimps have both).

    If both sides have hammer groups waiting in the background, the situation is similar to an iterated game of chicken: each hammer group wants to delay joining the fight for as long as possible, allowing the anvil group to wear down the enemy, but neither hammer group wants the other to join the fight first, which would lead to a defeat. (Joining the fight corresponds to driving straight in the chicken game, and holding back corresponds to swerving; if both players swerve, the game is repeated.)