The chimpanzees went to the nut-cracking experiments and checked out the stones and nuts, yet they did not crack any nuts, even after more than a year of exposure to the materials. An overall of 35 chimpanzee celebrations (or sub-groups) checked out the experiments, of which 11 celebrations closely investigated the speculative items. When going to in larger celebrations, the chimpanzees were more likely to check out the experiments. Just one female chimpanzee was observed eating from the palm fruit, however on no event did the chimpanzees fracture or eat either oil palm or Coula nuts.
Chimpanzee in the Nimba Mountains, Guinea. Credit: Kathelijne Koops, UZH
Shared evolutionary origin of cumulative culture
” Our findings suggest that chimpanzees acquire cultural behaviors more like human beings and do not merely develop an intricate tool usage habits like nut splitting on their own,” states Koops. Particularly, they recommend higher connection between chimpanzee and human cultural advancement than is normally presumed and that the human capacity for cumulative culture might have a shared evolutionary origin with chimpanzees.”
Recommendation: “Field experiments discover no proof that chimpanzee nut cracking can be individually innovated” 24 January 2022, Nature Human Behaviour.DOI: 10.1038/ s41562-021-01272-9.
Chimpanzees dont immediately understand what to do when they come throughout stones and nuts. The chimpanzees checked out the nut-cracking experiments and explored the stones and nuts, yet they did not crack any nuts, even after more than a year of exposure to the products. Only one female chimpanzee was observed consuming from the palm fruit, but on no celebration did the chimpanzees fracture or consume either oil palm or Coula nuts.
” Our findings recommend that chimpanzees acquire cultural behaviors more like people and do not merely invent an intricate tool usage behavior like nut breaking on their own,” says Koops. Specifically, they suggest greater continuity between chimpanzee and human cultural evolution than is usually presumed and that the human capability for cumulative culture may have a shared evolutionary origin with chimpanzees.”
Nimba Mountains, Guinea. Credit: Kathelijne Koops, UZH
When they come throughout nuts and stones, chimpanzees do not automatically know what to do. Researchers at the University of Zurich have actually now used field experiments to reveal that chimpanzees therefore do not just develop nut-cracking with tools, however require to learn such intricate cultural habits from others. Their culture is therefore more similar to human culture than typically assumed.
Human beings have a complex culture that enables them to copy habits from others. As such, human culture is cumulative, considering that innovations and skills collect over generations and become progressively efficient or complex. According to the zone of hidden options hypothesis in Anthropology, chimpanzees do not find out in this way, however can reinvent cultural habits individually. UZH teacher in the department of Anthropology Kathelijne Koops has now brought out novel field experiments in the Nimba Mountains of Guinea to show that this may not be the case.
Chimpanzee breaking a nut with stones. Credit: Kathelijne Koops, UZH
Four explores wild chimpanzees
The primatologist examined whether wild chimpanzees can in reality create a complex habits like nut-cracking separately. The chimpanzees were presented with a series of 4 experiments. In the 3rd experiment, the nuts were cracked open and positioned on top of the stones.
