Gorillas\u2019 (Gorilla g. gorilla) knowledge of conspecifics\u2019 affordances: intraspecific social tool use for food acquisition

Jacques Prieur,Simone Pika

doi:10.1007/s10329-020-00805-6

Abstract

The use of tools, long thought to be uniquely human, has now been observed in other animal taxa including several species of birds, non-primate mammals as well as some non-human primate species. Chimpanzees, one of humankind’s closest living relatives, exceed all other non-human animal species as they have been reported to use an exceptionally large toolkit. However, relatively little is known about the tool-use skills of the other great ape species. While the majority of tools described are inanimate objects, the use of social tools has received relatively little attention. Here we provide the first evidence of naturally occurring spontaneous exploitative behaviour of a conspecific as a social tool for food acquisition in non-human animals. We observed gorillas in captivity utilising a conspecific as a ladder to gain access to unreachable food. We discuss our findings in the light of other studies on social tool use and suggest the need for more nuanced interpretations of gorillas’ cognitive skills.

Highlights

The complex use and manufacture of tools has shaped human evolution, culture, and social-cognitive abilities (e.g. Stout 2011; Toth and Schick 2015)
Relatively little is known concerning the tool-use skills of other great ape species, despite long-term observations of populations living in their natural environments
Other studies report that other great ape species, some monkey species, several non-primate mammals, and some species of birds take into consideration the social affordances of conspecifics

Summary

Introduction

The complex use and manufacture of tools has shaped human evolution, culture, and social-cognitive abilities (e.g. Stout 2011; Toth and Schick 2015). Tool use has been defined as “the external employment of an unattached or manipulable attached environmental object to alter more efficiently the form, position, or condition of another object, another organism, or the user itself, when the user holds and directly manipulates the tool during or prior to use and is responsible for the proper and effective orientation of the tool” One of humankind’s closest living relatives, chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), outrival all other non-human animal species, as they use an exceptionally large toolkit for diverse purposes Relatively little is known concerning the tool-use skills of other great ape species, despite long-term observations of populations living in their natural environments

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Discussion

Conclusion