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theadvancedapes · 4444 days ago · link · · parent · post: Are western chimpanzees a new species of Pan?
The spear construction and function is very similar to the 'fishing-rod' modifications that most chimpanzee populations make throughout Africa to procure termites and/or ants. They take a long, straight, skinny branch and use their teeth and opposable thumbs to sharpen the edge to a point. They then search for bush babies and other small nocturnal primates that sleep in holes in trees during the day. When they come upon a sleeping hole they jab repeatedly into the hole and pull out the primate on the end of the stick. Western chimpanzees are the first species, other than humans, that are known to hunt with weapons.