Bonobo Makes Stone Tools Like the Early Humans Did
Kanzi, a 30-year-old male bonobo chimp at the University of Haifa in Israel, has learned to make stone tools similar to those made by early hominids, and uses them as choppers, scrapers, and diggers.
As an article in New Scientist points out,
The findings will fuel the ongoing debate over whether stone tools mark the beginning of modern human culture, or predate our Homo genus. They appear to suggest the latter – though critics will point out that Kanzi and his companion were taught how to make the tools. Whether the behaviour could arise in nature is unclear.
Journal reference: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1212855109