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Tool use in chimpanzees essay
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Introduction: Chimpanzees are part of the non-human primate group. Though we share a common ancestor, evolution has pushed us in different directions. However this common ancestor causes humans to be curious about these creatures. As discussed in Jane Goodall’s video Among the Wild Chimpanzees we were once considered to be human because of our use of tools but once we observed these non-human primates using tools, this perception was changed forever. The question now at hand is if having the chimpanzees that we study in captivity makes a difference between studying wild chimps. These interesting creatures can be found naturally in the rainforests of Africa. Development of tool use: “Tool use is rare in animals, and the chimpanzees stand out as the most proficient tool users besides humans” (Boesh, Boesch-Achermann18). Some debate has taken place between researchers regarding how these chimpanzees learn to use these tools and whether or not there is a difference between wild chimps and captive chimp’s tool use. Some theories say that chimps do not actively teach or are taught, but rather learn by observation, trial, and error; as stated in the article Thinking Like a Chimpanzee by Jon Cohen. This article also suggests that some reaserchers do believe that chimps do poses the capability to be taught and understand what they are learning. Tool manufacturing: Chimps use tools in numerous ways to retrieve food. These include stone tools for the cracking of nuts and thin twigs for termite fishing as discussed in both the articles Mommy Training by Nick Atkins and Tool Use in Wild Chimpanzees: New Light From Dark Forests by Hedwige Boesch-Achermann and Christophe Boesch. Both of these articles discusss the use of tool use among chimpan... ... middle of paper ... ... Academic OneFile. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. Boesch-Achermann, Hedwige, and Christophe Boesch. "Tool Use In Wild Chimpanzees: New Light From Dark Forests." Current Directions In Psychological Science (Wiley-Blackwell) 2.1 (1993): 18-21. Academic Search Premier. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. Celli, Maura L., Satoshi Hirata, and Masaki Tomonaga. "Socioecological Influences On Tool Use In Captive Chimpanzees." International Journal Of Primatology25.6 (2004): 1267-1281. Academic Search Premier. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. Cohen, Jon. "Thinking Like A Chimpanzee." Smithsonian 41.5 (2010): 50. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. Hopkins, W. D., et al. "Handedness For Tool Use In Captive Chimpanzees (Pan Troglodytes): Sex Differences, Performance, Heritability And Comparison To The Wild." Behaviour 146.11 (2009): 1463. Publisher Provided Full Text Searching File. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.
They have wide chests and their arms are longer than their legs. Chimpanzees’ hands have four long fingers plus an opposable thumb. Their feet have five toes which includes an opposable big toe. Chimpanzees’ can grasp things with both their hands and their feet. Male chimpanzees are larger than female chimpanzees and are slightly sexually dimorphic. Chimpanzees are quadrupeds that typically walk using the soles of feet and the knuckles of their hands. They sometimes walk upright only when they need to use their arms to carry things but this is a rare occurrence. Chimps are also good at brachiating and climbing trees which is where they spend most of their time even when they sleep. Their dental formula is 2.1.2.3. Chimpanzees’ have y5/x4 molars, making them frugivores, and a diastema to fit their upper canines. Their diet includes fruit, leaves, flowers, seeds, smaller mammals, birds, insects, and grubs. When chimps aren’t resting, they can be very active. I enjoyed watching the Chimpanzees’ swing on the ropes and climb up and down the trees. Chimpanzees are
de Waal, Frans B. M. (March 1995). "Bonobo Sex and Society" (PDF). Scientific American 272 (3): 58–64.Infanticide in Primates." Infanticide in Primates. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2013
Although the practice of collecting animals have been present since 2500 B.C (Dunlap and Kellert), efforts to keep animals in a safe and natural habitat have been poorly consummated. Psychological manipulation has consequentially drawn chimpanzees to mental illness, as in the article “How Abnormal Is the Behavior of Captive, Zoo-Living Chimpanzees?” Lucy P. Birkett and Nicholas E. Newton-Fisher wrote, “Many chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) kept in laboratory housing settings show a variety of serious behavioral abnormalities, such as, repetitive rocking, drinking of urine, or self-mutilation.” Social and maternal separation for the benifit of reasearch are linked to psychological traumatic as well (Dunlap and Kellert). Although through history the service of zoos have been for entertainment, it is a trivial reason for holding chimpanzees in confidment. Subsequently, it is inhumane to take primates from the wild and place them in a zoo, commercial, or laboratory setting, which strips them of their ability to act naturally.
Goodall delved into their very diverse appetite. The chimps had a very interesting ability to use tools. They used long sticks to gather insects from their ground burrows. She saw that the moneys groomed not just themselves, but other chimps as well, showing the close bonds that one individual has with the other members of the troop. The monkeys ate food with each other, the hunters bringing home the catch so that the whole gang can eat in respective to their ord...
When it comes to interacting with the environment tool use by chimpanzees is very vital to differentiating their intelligent within their culture. Chimpanzees are some of the very few unique primates that use a variety of tools which makes them stand out as very proficient tool users besides humans. According to David Watts chimpanzees use the tools to enhance their way of living. “Chimpanzees at several well documented sites mostly use tools in extractive foraging, and extractive tool use can substantially increase their foraging efficiency. They also use tools for hygiene and for several other purposes, including attracting the attention of conspecifics, as in leaf-clipping” (Watts 2008, 83). Subsequently chimpanzees are intellectual enough to alter an object to create a tool, and then use the tool for a precise purpose. Then on the other hand chimpanzees use tools to overcome everyday obstacles. As expressed by Watts chimpanzee toolkits mak...
Quiatt, D., & Reynolds, V. (1993). Primate behaviour: information, social knowledge, and the evolution of culture. Cambridge [England: Cambridge University Press].
... the gorillas are taken away from their family and are living in captivity. It is still important to study primates in-depth, and a solution to the ethical issues may be to breed primates within the conservatory.
108), however in the M-group, in Mahale, that the grooming hand-clasp appeared in at least one captive chimpanzee colony (Uehara, 2004, p. 108). The importance between the different types of hand-clasp grooming is crucial to determine the behaviors among cultures in primates. The objective was to test Mcgrew and colleagues’ idea that the palm-to-palm hand-clasp is custom of K-group and not of M-group (Uehara, 2004, p. 109). In some cases during the grooming the primates would stretch their arms and hold hands (palm-to-palm hand-clasp), but the primates also used other methods of grooming, such as stretching their arms and holding their wrists, or draping their arms over each other during the grooming process. (See images in (Uehara, 2004, p. 109). The study was to show whether or not those who used the grooming hand-clasp with three different partners demonstrated the same tendencies regardless of the partner (Uehara, 2004, p. 109). The results showed the majority of the K-group performed the palm-to-palm hand-clasps more often than M-group. During the observation, “the angle of the wrist in most cases concluded as either straight of flexed in approximately 91% of primates. In the Angle of
Apes have over and over again surpassed other primates in comprehension tests carried out in the laboratory. They are capable of reacting to stimuli in an appropriate manner. Researchers have measured intelligence in primates in a number of situations in an effort to determine the level of cognition these primates possess. Russon and Begun, researchers who have explored ape intelligence state, “In the physical domain, great apes do use tools in ways that require their grade of cognition but they devise equally complex manual techniques and solve equally complex spatial problems” (Russon and Begun 2004). Apes have the abilit...
Chimpanzees and Bonobos are very similar species of apes and they both have very similar gestures that have alike meanings. While it is not surprising that some of the gestures are the same, it is more surprising that they also have the same intention. When comparing the gestures, the ASO, or Apparently Satisfactory Outcome, is taken into consideration. The ASO is used to help figure out the meaning of the gesture by showing how the receiver of the gesture responds to the action and if the signaller is satisfied with the outcome of their response. The gestures and meanings are then compared between bonobos and chimpanzees to determine how similar their actions are to each other.
Grass made up their environment around which they traveled mostly on all fours, on their feet and their knuckles. They stood erect on two feet to walk when using their hands to carry something. I wasn’t surprised to see that there was an enormous termite mound in the middle of their habitat because I had read about it in the anthropology textbook, and how chimps are adept tool users in that they not only construct them, but also use them strategically. With these tools, they reach into the termite hillock and seek out and ingest their newfound grub.
This article, titled Common Ground, written by Barbara Smuts, points out the main differences between humans and apes, such as our upright stance, large brains, and capacity for spoken language and abstract reasoning. However, the main point of this article is to emphasize the many similarities that apes share with us. Smuts goes into great detail about how human social and emotional tendencies are very reflective in the family of apes.
Chimpanzees are one of the most innovative species on Earth. They are one of the few species that are able to use tools. Not only that, but they can also be seen specializing tools to fit their needs in a specific situation. One such example of this tool
In his lecture, primatologist Robert Sapolsky explains the uniqueness of humans as well as our similarities to other primates. In doing so, he broke it down into six points of interest: aggression, theory of mind, the golden rule, empathy, pleasure in anticipation and gratification postponement, and lastly, culture. Professor Sapolsky approaches each point with interesting fact-based examples thus allowing me to gain insight on humans and other primates. Sapolsky’s knowledge of primates along with his scientific background allows him to make a clear argument that one cannot simply ignore.
According to scientists, chimpanzees are our great ancestors. Their way of life at first was a slight different than ours. When humans today walk on two feet, chimpanzees back at the time walked on 4 legs. Chimpanzees did their regular routine of finding food when they need it, finding shelter when needed. All of that changed when a natural disaster occurred on the face of the earth. Before the disaster, chimpanzees had nothing to fear. Life looked normal. Once the disaster hit, things took a turn for the worse. All the food that was available to chimpanzees in the reach of their hands were gone. Food was scarce on the ground. After a couple of hundreds of years, food and the basic necessities for living were at a much more higher reach of the chimpanzees. This meant that instead of chimpanzees walking on four legs, they had to walk on two. The other two body parts they used as legs would soon be turned into...