Chimpanzees in Bwindi-Impenetrable National Park, Uganda, use different tools to obtain different types of honey

Stanford, Craig B.; Gambaneza, Caleb; Nkurunungi, John Bosco; Goldsmith, Michele L.

doi:10.1007/bf02557602

Cited by 27 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…As has been found in other populations of Pan troglodytes [Boesch & BoeschAcherman, 2000;Humle & Matsuzawa, 2002;Stanford et al, 2000], chimpanzees of the Ngotto Forest selected or constructed tools of different lengths depending on the function of the tool. The tools used to dip for ants were longer than those used to probe for honey.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…As shown in Table IV, the mean length of the Ngotto honey probes is similar to that of the sticks used by the Bwindi chimpanzees to probe for the honey of stinging bees [Stanford et al, 2000]. Within the Bwindi population, a significant difference exists between the lengths of the longer sticks used to acquire stingingbee honey and the shorter sticks used to acquire stingless-bee honey.…”

Section: Between-site Comparisons: Ant-dip Tools and Honey Probesmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…The honey-fishing tools made by these chimpanzees were significantly longer than their ant-dipping tools, and both of these types of tools were significantly longer than the nut-emptying and bone marrow-scraping tools. Similarly, Stanford et al [2000] reported that Eastern chimpanzees at Bwindi, Uganda, manufactured short stick tools to obtain honey from stingless-bee (Meliponula bocandei) nests, and significantly longer, thicker tools to acquire the honey of African honeybees (Apis mellifera).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

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Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) tool use in the Ngotto Forest, Central African Republic

Hicks

Fouts

2005

Am. J. Primatol.

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Over a 7-month period, stick tools constructed by chimpanzees were collected and measured at the Ngotto Forest site in Central African Republic. The chimpanzees were found to use tools to dip for ants and to probe for honey. The basic descriptions of these tools and the contexts in which they were found are presented. The lengths of two of the tool types were compared with the use of a t-test for independent groups. It was found that the lengths of the tools differed significantly depending upon their function. The location and habitat type of each tool site were plotted on a map. The tool types were distributed throughout the southern part of the study area, and with one exception all tool sites were found in the same type of habitat. Two tool sites with two other types of tools (honey hammer/club and ant club) were found. The tool types at Ngotto are compared with those found at other chimpanzee field sites, and the implications for diversity in chimpanzee material culture are discussed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Section: Between-site Comparisons: Ant-dip Tools and Honey Probesmentioning

confidence: 87%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) tool use in the Ngotto Forest, Central African Republic

Hicks

Fouts

2005

Am. J. Primatol.

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“…Different populations employ different strategies to access honey and larvae from both arboreal and subterranean nests, ranging from manual 'smash-and-grab' raids (Reynolds 2005) to use of tools (e.g., Boesch and Boesch 1990;Fay and Carroll 1994;Tutin et al 1995;Stanford et al 2000;Hicks et al 2005;Fowler and Sommer 2007). Recent reports from Central Africa have revealed that some populations in that region employ tool-sets (i.e., two or more types of tool used sequentially in a single task; Brewer and McGrew 1990) to access honey (Bermejo and Illera 1999;Boesch et al 2009;Sanz and Morgan 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tool-use to obtain honey by chimpanzees at Bulindi: new record from Uganda

McLennan

2011

Primates

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Honey-gathering from bee nests has been recorded at chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) study sites across tropical Africa. Different populations employ different strategies, ranging from simple 'smash-and grab' raids to use of sophisticated tool-sets, i.e., two or more types of tool used sequentially in a single task. In this paper I present evidence of tool-use, and the probable use of a tool-set, for honey-gathering by unhabituated chimpanzees at Bulindi, a forest-farm mosaic south of the Budongo Forest in Uganda. Between June and December 2007, 44 stick tools were found in association with 16 holes dug in the ground, corresponding to the period when stingless bees (Meliponula sp.) appeared in chimpanzee dung. In 11 cases the confirmed target was a Meliponula ground nest. Two potential tool types were distinguished: digging sticks encrusted with soil, and more slender and/or flexible sticks largely devoid of soil that may have functioned to probe the bees' narrow entry tubes. Reports of chimpanzees using tools to dig for honey have been largely confined to Central Africa. Honey-digging has not previously been reported for Ugandan chimpanzees. Similarly, use of a tool-set to obtain honey has thus far been described for wild chimpanzee populations only in Central Africa. Evidence strongly suggests that Bulindi chimpanzees also use sticks in predation on carpenter bee (Xylocopa sp.) nests, perhaps as probes to locate honey or to disable adult bees. These preliminary findings from Bulindi add to our understanding of chimpanzee technological and cultural variation. However, unprotected forests at Bulindi and elsewhere in the region are currently severely threatened by commercial logging and clearance for farming. Populations with potentially unique behavioral and technological repertoires are being lost.

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“…Inserting a probe into a beehive to extract honey (dipping) is the most widespread tactic used by chimpanzees in honey-gathering (Ivory Coast: Boesch and Boesch 1990;Guinea: Ohashi 2006;Central African Republic: Fay and Carroll 1994;Gabon: Boesch et al in press;Tutin et al 1995;Republic of Congo: Bermejo and Illera 1999;Sanz and Morgan 2007; Tanzania: Izawa and Itani 1966;Uganda: Nishida and Hiraiwa 1982, Stanford et al 2000, Watts 2008. Chimpanzees may also manually detach an entire hive or a branch segment that contains a bee nest, and then use a dipping tool to extract the honey (Ohashi 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flexible and Persistent Tool-using Strategies in Honey-gathering by Wild Chimpanzees

2009

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Several populations of wild chimpanzees use tools to raid bee nests, but preliminary observations of chimpanzees in the Congo Basin indicate that they may have developed sophisticated technical solutions to gather honey that differ from those of apes in other regions. Despite the lack of habituated groups within the range of the central subspecies, there have been several reports of different types of tools used by chimpanzees to open beehives and gather honey. Researchers have observed some of these behaviors (honey dipping) in populations of western and eastern chimpanzees, whereas others (hive pounding) may be limited to this region. Toward evaluating hypotheses of regional tool using patterns, we provide the first repeated direct observations and systematic documentation of tool use in honey-gathering by a population of Pan troglodytes troglodytes. Between 2002 and 2006, we observed 40 episodes of tool use in honey-gathering by chimpanzees in the Goualougo Triangle, Republic of Congo. Pounding was the most common and successful strategy to open beehives. Chimpanzees at this site used several tools in a single tool-using episode and could also attribute multiple functions to a single tool. They exhibited flexibility in responses toward progress in opening a hive and hierarchical structuring of tool sequences. Our results support suggestions of regional tool using traditions in honeygathering, which could be shaped by variation in bee ecology across the chimpanzee range. Further, we suggest that these chimpanzees may have an enhanced propensity to use tool sets that could be related to other aspects of their tool repertoire. Clearly, there is still much to be learned about the behavioral diversity of chimpanzees residing within the Congo Basin.

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Chimpanzees in Bwindi-Impenetrable National Park, Uganda, use different tools to obtain different types of honey

Cited by 27 publications

References 15 publications

Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) tool use in the Ngotto Forest, Central African Republic

Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) tool use in the Ngotto Forest, Central African Republic

Tool-use to obtain honey by chimpanzees at Bulindi: new record from Uganda

Flexible and Persistent Tool-using Strategies in Honey-gathering by Wild Chimpanzees

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