{
  "id": 7698758,
  "title": "Wild chimpanzees teach youngsters by handing them tools",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/wild-chimpanzees-teach-youngsters-by-handing-them-tools",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-16T04:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Scientist",
    "slug": "new-scientist",
    "url": "https://www.newscientist.com/article/2589364-wild-chimpanzees-teach-youngsters-by-handing-them-tools/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Wild chimpanzees have been observed passing tools to younger members of their social groups, a behavior that may help the youngsters acquire essential technological skills. R. Adriana Hernandez-Aguilar of the University of Barcelona, Spain, says the footage of this behavior was \"very surprising\" and supports the notion that teaching plays a role in chimp development. Chimpanzees are known to craft a range of tools, including leaf sponges for soaking water, sticks for catching army ants, and even simple spears for hunting. However, how these creatures learn such skills remains a topic of debate. It's clear that this knowledge is transmitted from one chimp to another, as demonstrated by a study showing an increase in the use of moss sponges by chimps in Uganda to collect water from ponds. Captive studies have also revealed that chimps can pass on knowledge to one another. The question remains, though: do chimps imitate observed behavior, actively teach others, or independently discover solutions to tasks? To investigate this, Hernandez-Aguilar and colleagues analyzed 15 hours of camera trap footage from the Jane Goodall Institute's biological station in Dindefelo, Senegal, taken between 2017 and 2025. Cameras were placed near 14 locations where wild western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) had previously been seen using tools for activities like fishing for algae, army ants, and termites. The team recorded 33 instances of tool transfer, with chimps often passing tools to close relatives, such as mothers giving tools to their offspring. In one case, a mother named Soukki handed a dipping stick to her baby daughter, Saïsaï, who then used it to catch ants. The researchers also examined 30 minutes of footage from cameras at 11 sites where chimps were seen pounding baobab fruits against rocks to crack them open, a behavior considered proto-tool use. In one example, a mother called Féré collected three baobab fruits and placed them near her infant son Fotti. A juvenile male, likely an older sibling, picked up a fruit and pounded it against rocks while Fotti watched. The juvenile then guided Fotti's hand to a fruit, allowing him to crack it open. These observations suggest that social mechanisms like observation and supervised practice help young chimps learn to use tools.",
  "summary": "Adult chimpanzees have been observed passing tools to their younger relatives, helping them learn the skills needed for fishing for ants or algae",
  "key_points": [
    "Wild chimpanzees teach tool use to young members of their groups.",
    "Observations of tool transfer recorded in Senegal between 2017 and 2025.",
    "Social mechanisms like observation and practice aid young chimps' tool learning."
  ],
  "editors_take": "This behavior suggests that social mechanisms like observation and supervised practice play a role in helping young chimpanzees acquire essential technological skills, with older chimps actively guiding younger ones.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}