Ant Fishing in Trees: Invention and Modification of a New Tool-Use Behavior

Abstract

*[In this chapter, we report 'ant-fishing' by a young male chimpanzee at Bossou, Guinea, a behavior never before observed in this community during the past 27 years. This chimpanzee went on to modify this novel tool technology over the course of the following 2 years. At the age of 5, he employed wands of similar length to those used in ant-dipping on the ground, which is a customary tool-use behavior of this community. However, 2 years later, at the age of 7, his ant-fishing tools were shorter & the efficiency in obtaining carpenter ants was improved.]