Tool use video

• by jwidness moderator

  Ok, just to be clear, this is not an ape video, but I have a special place in my heart for capuchins and I just had to share this : )

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEe7KDsbTsw

  Posted September 11, 2015 3:41 PM

• by AnLand moderator

  Nice video, they are cute, but why is the monkey poking its own nose with a stick? Is he/she eating something from his/her nose or is it the pleasure of tickling and sneezing? I do not really understand what's happening.

  Posted September 11, 2015 4:36 PM

• by Snorticus in response to jwidness's comment.

  That made me chuckle - good one, jwidness!

  Posted September 11, 2015 5:27 PM

• by jwidness moderator in response to AnLand's comment.

  The accompanying paper ( http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10329-015-0470-6/fulltext.html) describes a couple hypotheses:

  While the observed capuchin behaviour did not produce a noticeable volume of mucus, and the individual did not display any flu-like symptoms, we cannot rule out nasal clearing as a potential proximate cause. It may also be that an irritant was lodged in the capuchin’s nasal passage, and if so, it was not dislodged during the several sneezing episodes that were observed over a 5-min period. Neither can we rule out use of the probe tool as simply a self-inspection or curiosity-driven behaviour. The care with which Acácia introduced the probe to her nose, and the regular continuation of the probe insertion until a sneeze was provoked, suggest that sneezing may have been an intended aim of her tool use behaviour, but we cannot speculate further at present.

  Posted September 11, 2015 6:11 PM

• by jwidness moderator

  While we're on the topic of how funny capuchins are (and how much I love them for it!), I'll link to some of Susan Perry's research on capuchin traditions: http://lbmp.anthro.ucla.edu/research/social-traditions/

  As a teaser for the link, here are two capuchins poking each other in the eyeball:
  
  
  
  (Can I say again how much I love them 😃)

  Also, just to be clear, the tool using monkey above was a bearded capuchin (Sapajus libidniosus), while the ones in this link are called white-headed capuchins or white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus). And one last random fact from the taxonomist in me -- both these capuchin species were considered to be in the same genus (Cebus) until just a few years ago!

  Posted September 11, 2015 6:39 PM

• by Snorticus in response to jwidness's comment.

  Well how interesting and how baffling! The eye is kind of a delicate area to be probing like that using your friend's finger. Hmmm.

  Posted September 12, 2015 12:42 AM

• by NuriaM scientist, moderator in response to jwidness's comment.

  Wow @jwidness, I´m impressed!! I never paid so much attention at this capuchin´s behaviour...it´s really interesting.

  Chimps are known to show handedness for tool use...do you know if capuchins do too?

  Thanks for sharing 😃

  Posted September 14, 2015 5:41 AM