Understanding Chimpanzee Culture

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In primates such as chimpanzees it is imperative to look at their culture to understand their intelligence. Culture in this circumstance means a specific set of behaviors obtained through learning in a population/species. Chimpanzee’s intelligence is quite unique how they interact with their environment and use it to their benefit just like humans. They have the ability to overcome the obstacles of everyday life through learning and the ability to use tools to create a better quality of life. The complexity of their intellect is different from any other animal ever seen. A significant part of chimpanzee intelligence that sets them apart from other primates and puts them closer to humans is the way they exhibit social learning within their culture and interactions within their environment.
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...

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...and put them in a whole different category from other primates. Unlike other animals there intellect gives them the ability to create, learn and flourish as primates. Even though they are not as intelligent as humans, they have a very significant cognition that puts them closer to humans.

Works Cited

Elizabeth E., Price. "A Potent Effect Of Observational Learning On Chimpanzee Tool Construction." Proceedings Of The Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 276.1671 (2009): 3377-3383. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.

Horner, Victoria, Proctor,Darby . "Prestige Affects Cultural Learning In Chimpanzees." Plos ONE 5.5 (2010): 1-5. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Nov. 2013
Watts, David P. "Tool Use By Chimpanzees At Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda." International Journal Of Primatology 29.1 (2008): 83-94. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.

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