Human Children Capable Of Spontaneous Tool Development, Just Like Young Chimpanzees

Plants and Animals





Photo credit:

While chimps learn by themselves how to use tools, it was thought human children had to be taught. grass-lifeisgood/Shutterstock

Until chimpanzees were discovered to crack nuts, dip for termites, and use leaves as sponges, it was long thought that the use of tools was a defining human characteristic. We now know that to be wrong, but questions still remain as to how both humans and apes learn the capacity to use tools. It has generally been assumed that while basic tool use in human children has to be socially learned, young chimpanzees will spontaneously invent tool behavior themselves, rather than having to be first shown by an adult.