The list of animals that have already entered the ‘Stone Age’ and use their own tools
Chimpanzees, capuchin monkeys and Burmese long-tailed macaques have been using stone as a tool to perform various functions for years.
It has long been believed that humans were the only ones with a recognized archaeological record of stone tool use. However, the scientific community has recently confirmed that there are many animals that have also been using rocks or stones to perform various functions for many years.
The discovery of certain archaeological remains has led to the conclusion that some primate species conceive the use of these tools as a socially learned behavior. Like humans, the use of rocks to facilitate their daily activities has become part of their culture.
“Different groups use different tools. Some groups of chimpanzees, for example, use a rock ‘hammer’ that is dropped on a rock ‘anvil’ to crush nuts,” says Katarina Almeida-Warren, primate archaeologist at the University of Oxford, in statements collected by Muy Interesante.
‘Stone Age’ animals: Which species use these tools?
According to research published in 2007 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, chimpanzees are one of the primates that have been using stone as a hammer and anvil for a long period of time. Specifically, it has been shown that they have been using these tools for 4,300 years.
Other primates that fall into the select club of the ‘Stone Age’ are the capuchin monkeys, who have also been using this material to crack nuts for the last 700 to 3,000 years. According to National Geographic, this is the oldest documented non-human site outside Africa, specifically in the Sierra de la Capibara National Park in Brazil.
Finally, stone tools were discovered on the beach in Thailand which reflect that in the past they were used by Burmese long-tailed macaques to open shells. Although this habit does not survive today, at least not in the same place, it is estimated that these tools were used between approximately 1950 and 2004.
Decades of research have shown that the use of these stone tools, far from being an exclusively human activity, is also linked to the animal world. In the same way that birds use sticks and branches to build their nests, primates also use elements of nature for everyday activities, in this case, hunting and obtaining food.