Orangutan tool use and the evolution of technology

Meulman, Ellen; Schaik, Carel P. van

doi:10.1017/cbo9780511894800.012

Cited by 32 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 62 publications

(68 reference statements)

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“…For both DA and RBV/TV, the current sample consisting predominantly of Taï chimpanzees ( P. troglodytes verus ), known to use tools, displayed almost no significant differences from bonobos or orangutans, though the former have been observed using very few tools in the wild (Kano, ; Koops, Furuichi and Hashimoto, ), and neither are known to engage in percussive tool use (Meulman & van Schaik, ; van Schaik et al, ). It may be that nut‐cracking (Boesch & Boesch, ) and the use of precision forceful grips during food processing (Marzke et al, ) are simply not frequent or forceful enough to stimulate subarticular trabecular remodeling in the Mc1 head.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Trabecular variation in the first metacarpal and manipulation in hominids

Dunmore

Bardo

Skinner

et al. 2019

American J Phys Anthropol

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Objectives: The dexterity of fossil hominins is often inferred by assessing the comparative manual anatomy and behaviors of extant hominids, with a focus on the thumb. The aim of this study is to test whether trabecular structure is consistent with what is currently known about habitually loaded thumb postures across extant hominids.Materials and methods: We analyze first metacarpal (Mc1) subarticular trabecular architecture in humans (Homo sapiens, n = 10), bonobos (Pan paniscus, n = 10), chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes, n = 11), as well as for the first time, gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla, n = 10) and orangutans (Pongo sp., n = 1, Pongo abelii, n = 3 and Pongo pygmaeus, n = 5). Using a combination of subarticular and whole-epiphysis approaches, we test for significant differences in relative trabecular bone volume (RBV/TV) and degree of anisotropy (DA) between species. Results: Humans have significantly greater RBV/TV on the radiopalmar aspects of both the proximal and distal Mc1 subarticular surfaces and greater DA throughout the Mc1 head than other hominids. Nonhuman great apes have greatest RBV/TV on the ulnar aspect of the Mc1 head and the palmar aspect of the Mc1 base. Gorillas possessed significantly lower DA in the Mc1 head than any other taxon in our sample.Discussion: These results are consistent with abduction of the thumb during forceful "pad-to-pad" precision grips in humans and, in nonhuman great apes, a habitually adducted thumb that is typically used in precision and power grips. This comparative context will help infer habitual manipulative and locomotor grips in fossil hominins. K E Y W O R D Sfirst metacarpal, grip, hominid, manipulation, trabeculae

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Trabecular variation in the first metacarpal and manipulation in hominids

Dunmore

Bardo

Skinner

et al. 2019

American J Phys Anthropol

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“…Wild bearded capuchins and long-tailed macaques are well-known for their regular tooluse, involving highly controlled sequences of percussive actions [e.g., Spagnoletti et al, 2011;Gumert and Malaivijitnond, 2013;Visalberghi et al, 2015]. Orangutans and, to a lesser extent, western lowland gorillas also have been reported to use tools in the wild [Breuer et al, 2005;Meulman and Van Schaik, 2013]. However, among primates, chimpanzees are commonly regarded as the most skilled tool-users in the wild [McGrew, 1992] and their tool-use skills have been studied extensively since the 1960s [e.g., Goodall, 1964;Sugiyama, 1981;Boesch and Boesch, 1983;Inoue-Nakamura and Matsuzawa, 1997;Sanz and Morgan, 2013].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nut‐cracking behaviour in wild‐born, rehabilitated bonobos (Pan paniscus): a comprehensive study of hand‐preference, hand grips and efficiency

Neufuss

Humle

Cremaschi

et al. 2016

American J Primatol

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There has been an enduring interest in primate tool-use and manipulative abilities, most often with the goal of providing insight into the evolution of human manual dexterity, right-hand preference, and what behaviours make humans unique. Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are arguably the most well-studied tool-users among non-human primates, and are particularly wellknown for their complex nut-cracking behaviour, which has been documented in several West African populations. However, their sister-taxon, the bonobos (Pan paniscus), rarely engage in even simple tool-use and are not known to nut-crack in the wild. Only a few studies have reported tool-use in captive bonobos, including their ability to crack nuts, but details of this complex tool-use behaviour have not been documented before. Here, we fill this gap with the first comprehensive analysis of bonobo nut-cracking in a natural environment at the Lola ya Bonobo sanctuary, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Eighteen bonobos were studied as they cracked oil palm nuts using stone hammers. Individual bonobos showed exclusive laterality for using the hammerstone and there was a significant group-level right-hand bias. The study revealed 15 hand grips for holding differently sized and weighted hammerstones, 10 of which had not been previously described in the literature. Our findings also demonstrated that bonobos select the most effective hammerstones when nut-cracking. Bonobos are efficient nutcrackers and not that different from the renowned nut-cracking chimpanzees of Bossou, Guinea, which also crack oil palm nuts using stones.

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“…All studied chimpanzee populations exhibit some form of tool use [14,15], but there is wide variability in the size and complexity of tool repertoires among study sites [16][17][18]. The repertoire of wild orangutan tool using behaviours is also relatively large and diverse, consisting of 42 tool variants that are used in several different contexts including physical comfort, subsistence and communication [19]. However, many of these tool behaviours are exhibited relatively infrequently.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological and social correlates of chimpanzee tool use

Sanz

Morgan

2013

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

146

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The emergence of technology has been suggested to coincide with scarcity of staple resources that led to innovations in the form of tool-assisted strategies to diversify or augment typical diets. We examined seasonal patterns of several types of tool use exhibited by a chimpanzee ( Pan troglodytes ) population residing in central Africa, to determine whether their technical skills provided access to fallback resources when preferred food items were scarce. Chimpanzees in the Goualougo Triangle exhibit a diverse repertoire of tool behaviours, many of which are exhibited throughout the year. Further, they have developed specific tool sets to overcome the issues of accessibility to particular food items. Our conclusion is that these chimpanzees use a sophisticated tool technology to cope with seasonal changes in relative food abundance and gain access to high-quality foods. Subgroup sizes were smaller in tool using contexts than other foraging contexts, suggesting that the size of the social group may not be as important in promoting complex tool traditions as the frequency and type of social interactions. Further, reports from other populations and species showed that tool use may occur more often in response to ecological opportunities and relative profitability of foraging techniques than scarcity of resources.

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Orangutan tool use and the evolution of technology

Cited by 32 publications

References 62 publications

Trabecular variation in the first metacarpal and manipulation in hominids

Trabecular variation in the first metacarpal and manipulation in hominids

Nut‐cracking behaviour in wild‐born, rehabilitated bonobos (Pan paniscus): a comprehensive study of hand‐preference, hand grips and efficiency

Ecological and social correlates of chimpanzee tool use

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