Use of a tool‐set by <i>Pan troglodytes troglodytes</i> to obtain termites (<i>Macrotermes</i>) in the periphery of the Dja Biosphere Reserve, southeast Cameroon

Deblauwe, Isra; Guislain, Patrick; Dupain, Jef; Elsacker, Linda Van

doi:10.1002/ajp.20318

Cited by 34 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 9 publications

(14 reference statements)

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“…The implications of the failures reported for Povinelli's chimpanzees (2000) are problematic, relative to findings with other captive nonhuman primates (e.g., Deblauwe et al, 2006;Fragaszy et al, 2004;Sakura and Matsuzawa, 1991;Tonooka et al, 1997;Westergaard et al, 1995;Yocom and Boysen, 2010), but especially given the demonstrated prowess of wild chimpanzees in extensive and creative use of objects as tools in their environment. Why would captive chimpanzees not exhibit knowledge of physical support when such capabilities are both advantageous and necessary for their survival in the wild?…”

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confidence: 84%

Comprehension of functional support by enculturated chimpanzees Pan troglodytes

Yocom

Boysen

2011

Current Zoology

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Studies of causal understanding of tool relationships in captive chimpanzees have yielded disparate findings, particularly those reported by Povinelli & colleagues (2000) for tool tasks by laboratory chimpanzees. The present set of experiments tested nine enculturated chimpanzees on three versions of a support task, as described by Povinelli (2000), during which food rewards were presented in different experimental configurations. In Experiment 1, stimulus pairs included a choice between a cloth with a reward on the upper right corner or with a second reward off the cloth, adjacent to a corner, with the second pair comprised of a cloth with food on the upper right corner, and a second cloth with the reward on the substrate, partially covered. All subjects were successful with both test conditions in Experiment 1. In a second study, the experimental choices included one of two possible correct options, paired with one of three incorrect options, with the three incorrect choices all involving varying degrees of perceptual containment. All nine chimpanzees scored significantly above chance across all six conditions. In Experiment 3, four unique conditions were presented, combining one of two possible correct choices with one of two incorrect choices. Six of the subjects scored significantly above chance across the four conditions, and group performance on individual conditions was also significant. Superior performance was demonstrated by female subjects in Experiment 3, similar to sex differences in tool use previously reported for wild chimpanzees and some tool tasks in captive chimpanzees. The present results for Experiments 2 & 3 were significantly differed from those reported by Povinelli et al. (2000) for laboratory-born, peer-reared chimpanzees. One contribution towards the dramatic differences between the two study populations may be the significant rearing and housing differences of the chimpanzee groups. One explanation is that under conditions of enculturation, rich social interactions with humans and conspecifics, as well as active exploration of artifacts, materials, and other aspects of their physical environment had a significant impact on the animals' ability to recognize the support relationships among the stimulus choices. Overall, the present findings provide strong support for the hypothesis that our chimpanzee subjects based their responses on an understanding of functional support which represented one facet of their folk physics repertoire [Current Zoology 57 (4): 429-440, 2011]. Keywords Chimpanzees, Comparative cognition, Tool use, CausalityTool use by wild chimpanzees is a ubiquitous feature of daily life in many chimpanzee communities across equatorial Africa, and is represented by a range of cultures within these populations that regularly use tools that can be specific to the community (Boesch and Boesch, 1990;Boesch-Achermann and Boesch, 1993;Goodall, 1986;McGrew, 1992;Sakura and Matsuzawa, 1991;Whiten et al., 1999). Since the initial discoveries by Goodall (1964), each year,...

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confidence: 84%

Comprehension of functional support by enculturated chimpanzees Pan troglodytes

Yocom

Boysen

2011

Current Zoology

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“…2). 19,21,22,46,47 The largest known tool set comprises five tools used to get honey. 46 A specific order in the use of each tool of the set is needed to reach the goal.…”

Section: Digging Toolsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“An ape's view of the Oldowan” revisited

Wynn

Hernández‐Aguilar²,

Marchant³

et al. 2011

Evolutionary Anthropology

157

105

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In 1989, Wynn and McGrew published an explicit comparison between Oldowan technology and what was then known of chimpanzee technology. They compared the range and variety of tools, adaptive role of tools, carrying distances, spatial cognition, manufacturing procedures, and modes of learning. They concluded that everything archeologists had reconstructed about the behavior of Oldowan hominins could be accommodated within the ape adaptive grade; that is, a paraphyletic group united by overall similarities in anatomy and, in this case, behavior. The only Oldowan activities that were almost unknown for modern apes were the long-distance transport of objects and direct competition with carnivores, which was implied by meat acquisition activities. "In its general features Oldowan culture was ape, not human. Nowhere in this picture need we posit elements such as language, extensive sharing, division of labor, or pair-bonded families, all of which are part of the baggage carried by the term human."

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“…At La Belgique/Cameroon, termite puncturing sticks were manufactured from 8 plant species and fishing probes from 6 species [Deblauwe et al, 2006], while at Mt Assirik/Senegal, termite-fishing tools were provided by 6 species [McBeath and McGrew, 1982]. At Lossi Forest/Congo [Bermejo and Illera, 1999], perforating sticks are made from saplings of Euphorbiaceae, Acanthaceae, Marantaceae, Passifloraceae, Moraceae and Olacaceae.…”

Section: Tool Source Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Obtaining Raw Material: Plants as Tool Sources for Nigerian Chimpanzees

Pascual‐Garrido

Buba²,

Nodza³

et al. 2012

IJFP

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We investigated the acquisition of plant materials from which Nigerian chimpanzees manufacture wooden tools to harvest insects and honey from nests of army ants, honey bees and stingless bees. Slender trunks of juvenile trees and branches are most commonly used, and bendable vines rarely, probably reflecting the need to work with relatively sturdy tools to extract resources. While several tools are sometimes sourced from the same plant, there is also evidence for a depletion effect, as multiple tool sources at the same site are often spaced several metres apart. Identified tool sources belong to 27 species of at least 13 families. Honey-gathering implements are often chewed upon by chimpanzees. Interestingly, twigs of the most commonly used honey-gathering species possess antibacterial propensities and are favoured by Nigerians as chewing sticks. This suggests that extractive tools might possess associated medicinal or stimulatory properties. We do not know if chimpanzees actively select specific plant parts or species as we cannot compare observed with expected frequencies. Nevertheless, about three quarters of tools are picked from plants more than 6 m away from the extraction site, potentially indicating some degree of forward planning.

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Use of a tool‐set by Pan troglodytes troglodytes to obtain termites (Macrotermes) in the periphery of the Dja Biosphere Reserve, southeast Cameroon

Cited by 34 publications

References 9 publications

Comprehension of functional support by enculturated chimpanzees Pan troglodytes

Comprehension of functional support by enculturated chimpanzees Pan troglodytes

“An ape's view of the Oldowan” revisited

Obtaining Raw Material: Plants as Tool Sources for Nigerian Chimpanzees

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