[xmca] questions about animals' tool use

 
American researchers in West Africa believe they've found the first instance
of an animal (other than humans) building a multi- step weapon, after
observing wild chimpanzees grab sticks from one to four feet long, sharpen
the ends with their teeth, and murderously jab them into deep tree hollows
where delicious bush babies may be nesting. Writing in the journal Current
Biology, the team even reported observing the chimps tasting the tips after
the stabs, to ascertain whether they had actually located a prey. (One of
the researchers said the ferocity of the jabbing reminded her of the shower
scene in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho.) [Tampa Tribune- Washington Post,
2-23-07]

_______________________________________________
xmca mailing list
xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
Received on Sun Apr 22 14:04 PDT 2007