Tool Use Flashcards
When was the earliest definitive evidence of hominin tools
2.62.5 million years ago
Why is earlier evidence of hominin tool use less difinitive?
nonstone tools do not get preserved in the archaeological record
What are hominins?
the human lineage since the split from the other great apes 6-8 million years ago (i.e. hominin = Homo sapiens + our ancestors + all extinct human species)
Why is evidence from more than 3.3 mil years ago of hominin tool use missing?
nonstone tools do not get preserved in the archaeological record
How do Chimpanzees at Gombe, Tanzania use sticks
to “fish” for termites
What is jane goodall’s explanation for tool use?
the use of an external object as a functional extension of mouth or beak, hand or claw, in the attainment of an immediate goal
What is John Alockl’s explanation for tool use?
the manipulation of an inanimate object, not internally manufactured, with the effect of improving the animal’s efficiency in altering the form or position of some separate object
What is R. Schumakerl’s explanation for tool use?
(after Benjamin Beck) define tool use as “the external employment of an unattached or manipulable attached environmental object to alter more efficiently the form, position, or condition of another object, another organism, or the user itself when the user holds and directly manipulates the tool during or prior to use
What are 11 examples of tool use?
- Sea urchins wear shells and pebbles for camouflage/defense
- Blanket octopuses carry jellyfish tentacles as defensive weapons
- Marine crabs wave stinging sea-anemones in their pincers for defence
- Digger wasps use pebbles to hammer down dirt outside burrow
- Crocodiles use sticks as lures to catch avian prey
- South American cichlid fish use leaves as tablets for carrying eggs
- Archer fish spit jets of water to knock prey off perch
- Egyptian vultures drop stones onto ostrich eggs to break them
- Galapagos woodpecker finches use cactus spines to e`xtract insects
- Bottlenose dolphins carry sponges as foraging aids
- Elephants use branches held in their trunks as fly swats`
What are the taxodermic levels
phyla -> classes -> orders -> families -> genera -> species
What are the 4 phyla in which tool use is seen
Echinodermata, arthropads, mollusca, chordata
What are the ten classes which tool use is seen
sea urchens, insects, spiders, crabs, snails, octopi, fish, reptiles, birds, mammals
In what percentage of catalogued animals has tool use been seen?
0.2 percent
How many tools do most animals use?
1
What types of species have exceptions to the one tool rule
Primates and birds
What animal stands out in terms of their variety of tool use?
Wild Chimps
What do wild chimps use tools for
Use tools for foraging, self-maintenance, and the social/communicative domains
What are the 14 chimp tool uses
Algae scoop
Aimed throw
Ant dip
Branch drag
Dig w/ stick
Fly whisk
Leaf clip
Leaf sponge
Leaf cushion
Leaf wipe
Nasal probe
Nut crack
Pestle pound
Prey spear
Stir probe
Termite fish
Describe the variety of tool use across chimp species
Vary greatly
What three things need to be considered for animals to use tools
Ability
Opportunity
Benefits
What type of ability is important in animal tool use
Cognitive/physical
What opportunities are important in animal tool use
Suitable materials and conditions
What is considered in terms of benefits for animal tool use
Energetic returns vs costs
Describe tool usage of Capuchin monkeys
Versatile skill users in captivity, but only recently started using tools in the wild
What are the four mutually exclusive hypotheses for why some species of capuchin monkeys use tools and others do not?
Necessity
Opportunity
Limited invention
Relative profitability
Describe the necessity hypothesis for capuchin monkey tool use
Tool use is a response to resource scarcity
Describe the opportunity hypothesis for capuchin monkey tool use
Repeated exposure to the right conditions prompts tool use
Describe the limited invention hypothesis for capuchin monkey tool use
Tool use is rarely invented and spread requires sufficient social proximity to learn from others
Describe the relative profitability hypothesis for capuchin monkey tool use
Tool use is expressed whenever it is relatively more profitable than non-tool-assisted foraging
In what season do woodpecker finches use tools the most and what hypothesis supports this
Dry season - necessity