Wild monkeys flake stone tools

Author(s)

Proffitt, Tomos ; Luncz, Lydia V. ; Falotico, Tiago ; Ottoni, Eduardo B. ; de la Torre, Ignacio ; Haslam, Michael

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Nature; v. 539, n. 7627, p. 85+, NOV 3 2016.
• Web of Science Citations: 38

Abstract

Our understanding of the emergence of technology shapes how we view the origins of humanity(1,2). Sharp-edged stone flakes, struck from larger cores, are the primary evidence for the earliest stone technology(3). Here we show that wild bearded capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus) in Brazil deliberately break stones, unintentionally producing recurrent, conchoidally fractured, sharp-edged flakes and cores that have the characteristics and morphology of intentionally produced hominin tools. The production of archaeologically visible cores and flakes is therefore no longer unique to the human lineage, providing a comparative perspective on the emergence of lithic technology. This discovery adds an additional dimension to interpretations of the human Palaeolithic record, the possible function of early stone tools, and the cognitive requirements for the emergence of stone flaking. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/04818-0 - Tool use by wild bearded capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus): ecology, socially biased learning and behavioral traditions
• Grantee: Eduardo Benedicto Ottoni
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 13/05219-0 - Tool use by capuchin monkeys: learning and tradition
• Grantee: Tiago Falótico
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral