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Tool use observed in wild gorillas

Tool use was observed for the first time in wild gorillas, as reported by Thomas Breuer, Mireille Ndoundou-Hockemba and Vicki Fishlock in their paper in PLoS Biology. One gorilla broke a branch off and used it to test depth in murky water; another used a broken-off branch to steady itself and then as a bridge over swampy ground.

You can also read about it in the handy synopsis written for the general reader.

This is a big deal, inasmuch as gorillas have been taught tool use in captivity but it hadn't ever been observed in nature. The thought is that they live in such food-rich areas that they don't typically need to resort to tool use to survive.

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