Chimps know how to get a grip. What’s more, after they learn how to grasp objects, they show they can improve their hold and modify it for different tasks. This ability starts young and develops well into adulthood, according to observations published in PLOS Biology.
For the recent study, scientists video-recorded 70 wild chimps of various ages using sticks to retrieve food over several years at Taï National Park, Côte d’Ivoire in Africa. Their intent was to see whether chimps share humans’ capacity for continuous learning. That ability has been hypothesized as a factor in human evolution.
In the study, Mathieu Malherbe of France’s Institute of Cognitive Sciences and colleagues examined whether chimpanzees share this feature. They found chimps hone their tool techniques as they age, by changing finger grips to better handle sticks. Some methods — like using sticks to reach insects in tight spots — weren’t mastered until ...
