PRESS TV, Iran
02-26-07
Chimp seen "hunting" with weapon
Researchers report witnessing a chimpanzee skewering a tree creature for
supper with a spearlike tool, a rare observation of a long-studied primate in the
wild.
"It's not uncommon to have chimps use tools. But to use them in the context of
hunting" is nearly unheard of, Jill Pruetz, an anthropology professor from
Iowa State University who led the research team told AP writer, Nafeesa
Syeed.
The chimp's actual spearing of a bushbaby, a lemurlike creature that lives in
hollow branches or trunks, was only seen once, however. So some primate
experts said it was unclear whether the spectacle was a bit of luck or an
indication that chimps have a more advanced ability to hunt than was thought.
The observations were made in Fongoli, Senegal, from March 2005 to July 2006.
Pruetz's team documented cases of the chimps using the spears in a study
released Thursday in the online version of the journal Current Biology.
Pruetz said the practice is most common among adolescent females, ages 10 to
13, which must compete against physically superior males. "It's a way of
accessing protein or meat that is a creative solution to this problem," she said.
Pruetz said the chimpanzees stripped leaves from tree branches and modified
the tip with their incisors, "effectively making a point." Then the chimpanzees
jabbed the tool into a cavity to snag a bushbaby.
Chimpanzees commonly use sticks to get food, such as termites, said Ian Gilby,
a postdoctoral fellow who studies chimpanzee hunting at Harvard University.
"You frequently see chimps sticking sticks into holes or trees, so they can make
the hole bigger so they can put their arm in," said Gilby, who hadn't read the
study.
Gilby said he's seen this tactic used to get honey and small birds from holes in
his work in Gombe, Tanzania. "If it's clear they're making a point" on a branch tip,
he said, then that "does appear to be slightly different from what we see at other
sites."
David DeGusta, an assistant professor of anthropological sciences at Stanford
University, lauded Pruetz's work because of the rarity of studying chimpanzees
outside Gombe, where renowned researcher Jane Goodall did her work.
It's hard to get animals accustomed to human presence and willing to carry on
naturally, DeGusta said. "The more populations that are studied, the more we
learn about how their behavior can vary," said DeGusta.
Pruetz's study was funded by Iowa State University and the National Geographic
Society.
Her Iowa State graduate students continue to observe other emerging patterns
among chimpanzees in Senegal. "In a million years I never would've predicted
that I would've seen (hunting)," she said, adding, "I'm going to plug along and
see what unfolds."