Digging up food: excavation stone tool use by wild capuchin monkeys

Research at Serra da Capivara National Park reveals that capuchin monkeys employ stone tools to excavate food, challenging the 'necessity hypothesis' of tool use. While these primates primarily forage with their hands, they also utilize stones to loosen soil when digging for tubers, roots, and trapdoor spiders. Contrary to expectations, the study found no support for the fallback food hypothesis, which suggests tool use is driven by accessing scarce resources. Instead, a positive correlation emerged between plant food availability and stone tool frequency, indicating that capuchins may rely on tools when abundant food is present. This insight sheds new light on the ecological and behavioral factors influencing primate tool use in wild settings.

Falótico, T., Siqueira, J. O., & Ottoni, E. B. (2017). Digging up food: excavation stone tool use by wild capuchin monkeys. Scientific Reports, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-06541-0