Bonobo manipulating flint to create tools ...

[caffeine]

Spotted this earlier thought it might interest a few of you ...

There are some videos on the page of the chimp in action

http://www.newscientist.com/article...-makes-stone-tools-like-early-humans-did.html

 

[redneck]

Surely "we" were doing this 140 million years ago, why should this even raise an eyebrow?

 

[Dannytsg]

That is amazing. I'm always amazed at animals that have developed some further form of intelligence other than the norm for their species.

 

[British Red]

Birds not only use tools but select and adapt those tools as well (papers have been published on corvids using, selecting and adapting twigs to extract insects from holes). Its interesting to see for sure

 

[Andy BB]

I'm not sure this is a genuine sign of advanced tool-making. The bonobo was taught how to knap flints before this experiment, so its not exactly an original design. If it had been filmed in the wild doing it however - now THAT would be spectacular!

 

[caffeine]

i think they've been videoed using tools and improvising tools from stuff in the wild (but not using flint i don't think)

 

[Toddy]

What would be really interresting would be to see them make a flint blade and attach it to a shaft. Arrow or spear, but that could be scary indeed.

All of the great apes have been recorded with some kind of tool use, and tool selection ability; the orang utan especially can be taught to perform human type chores (females helping villagers with their washing comes to mind) the bonobo is supposedly most like us, but with some rather uninhibited methods of easing social interaction. Basically they're like hippies, make love not war, iimmc
We have so reduced their numbers though that evolution of their species must be seriously compromised

cheers,
M

 

[abominable_scouse_monster]

I for one welcome our Ape overlords....