Chimpanzee's and Tool Use

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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.

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