5 years ago
4
Monkeys in South America ‘enter the Stone Age by using tools to break food'
Only some of the monkeys have mastered the tools. By Rob Waugh.
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Any archaeology undergrad will tell you that it is not the implement’s use but rather its reuse that makes it a tool
Chimps use sticks to catch termites but they have not entered the Stone Age either for exactly the same reason - they discard the sticks when done
Even some bird species make use of rocks to break open nuts and shells
This is such a pseudo science clickbait
Quick, you better tell the field of primate anthropology that even though you didn't bother to read the paper you took archeology once, and this primatology business they're on about doesn't check out as far as you're concerned. Not only do capuchins at Jicarón reuse these tools, they reuse specific anvil sites. That sounds familiar.
Yes. I suppose if you stretch the definition of tool to include location and the definition of reusability to picking up the same thing twice then monkeys have entered the Stone Age
Along with chimps and birds who would also be reusing the same implements more than once at the same termite mound or nest
Glad we cleared that up with good scientific reasoning
That seems like as cozy a place to shift the goalposts as any. You'll have no argument from me about keeping an eye on chimps and corvids as well.