| Project Detail |
Shedding new light on the emergence of tool use in a novel monkey model Tool-making and use are of particular interest to evolutionary biologists. Chimpanzees (and now also bonobos) appear to be our closest living relatives based on common DNA sequences and chimpanzees have dominated research as models for human behaviour. However, within the last 10 years, capuchin monkey behaviour has increasingly become the focus of captive and field studies. Robust capuchin monkeys are phylogenetically independent from chimpanzees. TechnoC-Cap is investigating capuchin tool use in the wild and excavating tool use sites to better understand the evolution of tool use among robust capuchins, and more broadly, their technological and cultural evolution. Aside from filling a knowledge gap, the outcomes will inform understanding of human evolution in the context of tool use. |
