For the first time, in a forest in the Congo, scientists have witnessed chimpanzees using sticks to test the water depth and cross swampy areas.
Chimpanzees also utilize tools, indicating that the origins of tool use may predate the evolutionary split between chimpanzees and humans.
Thomas Breuer, from the Wildlife Conservation Society and the leader of the research team in Congo, stated: “We have been observing chimpanzees here for 10 years, and there are two instances where we saw them using tools.”
“In the first instance, a female chimpanzee crossed a pond and used a stick to test the water’s depth, employing it as a walking aid.”
The second case involved a female chimpanzee using a branch to lean on while foraging for food in a swamp. Later, she placed the branch across the swamp and used it as a bridge.
“The most surprising thing is that we found they used tools not just for obtaining food, but also for support.”
Current scientific perspectives suggest that the divergence between chimpanzees and humans occurred around 6 million years ago.
This research has been published in the journal Public Library of Science Biology.
