Female Chimpanzees Use Tools, Including Spears, More Often Than Males While Hunting, Study Reveals

techtimes.com ^ | | April 16, 10:13 AM | James Maynard

[BenLurkin]

Iowa State University researchers reported in 2007 that chimpanzees near Fongoli in Senegal were using tools, including spears, to hunt. The team also noted in that initial study that females of the species were the ones crafting most of the weapons. However, the small sample size of that initial study led some scientists to question the conclusions of the research. Over the last eight years, investigators have documented more than 300 hunts utilizing spears and other instruments for hunting.

Males make up 60 percent of the chimpanzees in the study group, yet they undertook just 40 percent of the hunting expeditions. They also generally used their hands to capture and kill prey, while females were found to use tools quite often on the hunt.

"It's just another example of diversity in chimp behavior that we keep finding the longer we study wild chimps. It is more the exception than the rule that you'll find some sort of different behavior, even though we've studied chimps extensively," Jill Pruetz, an anthropology professor at Iowa State University, said.

Galagos, small nocturnal primates popularly known as bush babies, are a favorite food of the chimpanzees in the region. Often, female chimpanzees were observed poking at galagos hiding in trees. As the prey animals ran out from their cover, they were captured by male chimpanzees using their bare hands.

One question that puzzles scientists is why the chimps at Fongoli regularly use spears, while primates in other areas of the world do not. The answer may lie in the group's social structure, which allows these chimps to keep and eat anything they catch. In other regions, the alpha male is awarded all such catches. Galagos are also easy targets for female chimps using spears, compared with the red colobus monkeys hunted by other chimpanzees.

[momtothree]

“Yeah.... but could they drive?”

Now, Moovova... you know perfectly well they can drive. Parallel parking? Yeah.. not so much. :)

[moovova]

“Parallel parking?”

I’ve been hit twice in my current car. Both times my car was parked, both female drivers, both backing up, neither time was I in my car.

Once was a client of mine...the other was my wife...so both times...I took the blame. :-)

[Albion Wilde]

"It's just another example of diversity in chimp behavior...," Jill Pruetz, an anthropology professor at Iowa State University, said.

Diversity? Faugggghhhh, libspeak! It's dimorphism, lady. Two divergent behaviors according to sex.

[momtothree]

To be fair, moovova... you did park your stupid car where they were backing up. So yeah... it was your fault (kidding, kidding :))

[Albion Wilde]

So are they going to apply this female chimp behavior to humans somehow????

The females have to make the sandwiches and get the coffee, right? LOL

[moovova]

That’s the track I took.

[Bob434]

[[Female Chimpanzees Use Tools, Including Spears, More Often Than Males While Hunting, Study Reveals]]

Perhaps, crudely, but they STILL fling their own poo at one another