So far this year, we've recorded 40 tool-assisted ("spear") hunts by Fongoli chimps, and the hunting "season" (i.e., the rainy season) has barely started... That brings the grand total of tool-assisted hunts by Fongoli chimps to over 130 recorded bouts since they were first habituated in 2005. Females continue to hunt more than expected, with males hunting less than expected - but with several adult males exhibiting the behavior (and one more than once!) since we first reported tool-assisted hunting in the 2007 Current Biology paper.
Below is a link to a short video showing Fongoli chimpanzee female Nickel's "spear" tool, which is included in the Smithsonian Institution's new Human Origins exhibit.
http://www.youtube.com/user/JillPruetz
Research on West African chimpanzees living in a savanna mosaic at Fongoli, Senegal since 2001, with a focus on the behavioral ecology of apes in a semi-arid environment. Associated with the Neighbor Ape 501c3 non-profit organization (US), which seeks to conserve the chimpanzees at Fongoli and to provide for the wellbeing of people that live alongside them. Project Director, Dr. Jill D. Pruetz, Professor of Anthropology, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas, USA
Thursday, June 24, 2010
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