The 2003 Epidemic of a Flu-Like Respiratory Disease at Bossou

Abstract

Chimpanzees at Bossou (Pan troglodytes verus) are known to use a pair of stones to crack open the oil-palm (Elaeis guineensis) nut to eat the edible kernel contained inside the hard shell. Because nut-cracking has only been observed in a limited number of communities in West Africa, it is considered a good example of “ cultural” behavior (Whiten et al. 1999). The chimpanzees in a non-nut-cracking community do not exhibit stone-tool use even if both stones and nuts are available in their habitat. The absence of this skill at these sites shows the difficulty in the spontaneous emergence of this complex stone-tool use in naïve individuals. It may also indicate the importance of social learning through observation of other members of the community in acquir- ing the nut-cracking skill. Even in a nut-cracking community, an infant requires a long time to master stone-tool use during development. This chapter follows the develop- mental course of the nut-cracking skill in the wild chimpanzees of Bossou.