Maternal influence on the development of nut‐cracking skills in the chimpanzees of the Taï forest, Côte d'Ivoire ( Pan troglodytes verus )

A study on chimpanzees in Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire, reveals that maternal behavior plays a significant role in the development of nut-cracking skills among immature individuals. Researchers found that while direct maternal scaffolding and active nut-sharing did not significantly enhance immatures' nut-cracking efficiency, their skills were positively influenced by their mothers' average efficiency and sharing hammers with them. The study also observed that mothers were more likely to share nuts with sons than daughters, particularly when offspring begged more frequently, with male immatures begging more often than females. This research provides new insights into the ontogenetic pathways of complex tool-use behavior in wild chimpanzees and underscores the importance of naturalistic observations in understanding skill acquisition.

Estienne, V., Cohen, H., Wittig, R. M., & Boesch, C. (2019). Maternal influence on the development of nut‐cracking skills in the chimpanzees of the Taï forest, Côte d’Ivoire ( Pan troglodytes verus ). American Journal of Primatology, 81(7). Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23022