Abstract
The use of stick- or probe-tools is a chimpanzee universal, recorded in all long-term study populations across Africa, except one: Budongo, Uganda. Here, after 25 years of observation, stick-tool use remains absent under both natural circumstances and strong experimental scaffolding. Instead, the chimpanzees employ a rich repertoire of leaf-tools for a variety of dietary and hygiene tasks. One use of stick-tools in other communities is in feeding on the aggressive Dorylus ‘army ant’ species, consumed by chimpanzees at all long-term study sites outside of mid-Western Uganda. Here we report the first observation of army-ant feeding in Budongo, in which individuals from the Waibira chimpanzee community employed detached leaves to feed on a ground swarm. We describe the behaviour and discuss whether or not it can be considered tool use, together with its implication for the absence of stick-tool ‘culture’ in Budongo chimpanzees.
Highlights
Chimpanzees are among a very limited group of species that employ, and manufacture their own tools
We report the first observation of army-ant feeding in Budongo, in which individuals from the Waibira chimpanzee community employed detached leaves to feed on a ground swarm
We describe the behaviour and discuss whether or not it can be considered tool use, together with its implication for the absence of sticktool ‘culture’ in Budongo chimpanzees
Summary
Chimpanzees are among a very limited group of species that employ, and manufacture their own tools. The south-western Ugandan chimpanzee population is known to feed on the aggressive army ants (Dorylus sp.; Kalinzu: Hashimoto et al 2000; Bwindi: Stanford and Nkurunungi 2003) They employ the typical long chimpanzee probe-tools used by all other long-term study populations outside of mid-western Uganda (Bossou and Seringbara: Mobius et al 2008; Humle and Matsuzawa 2002; Fongoli: McGrew et al 2005; Pruetz 2006; Gashaka: Fowler and Sommer 2007; Gombe: McGrew 1974; Goualougo: Sanz et al 2004, 2009; Mahale: Nishida and Hiraiwa 1982; Mt Assirik: McGrew et al 1979; Tai: Boesch and Boesch 1990; Bili: Hicks, unpublished data). We report the first observation of army-ant-feeding in Budongo, in which individuals from the Waibira chimpanzee community employed detached leaves to feed on a ground swarm
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