Research, Technology

50,000-year-old stone tools weren't made by humans, they were made by monkeys

The most intelligent monkeys in the world are consideredchimpanzee. It has been scientifically proven that the genome of these monkeys is 90% similar to the human one - for some time scientists even thought that they could be attributed to the genus Humans. These creatures, like us, are capable of making tools and can even communicate in sign language. Moreover, in 2022, scientists were able to prove that these monkeys have something similar to oral speech - in a 900-hour audio recording, they counted at least 390 consecutive sounds that look like words. However, chimpanzees are not the only apes with highly developed intelligence. Scientists know for certain that capuchins living in tropical forests have very good intelligence. Surprisingly, some of the ancient tools that were considered the result of the work of our ancestors may be the work of these very Capuchins. Recently, significant evidence has been found for this.

Capuchin monkeys were able to surprise scientists

Capuchin monkeys - who are they?

Capuchins (Cebus) are not a species of monkeys, but a wholegenus, which includes 15 species. They live in the tropical forests of Honduras, Brazil and some other warm countries. They rarely walk on the surface of the earth, because they prefer high crowns of trees. There they escape from predators and feed on insects, tree frogs and bird eggs.

Capuchins prefer to live in the tops of trees.

The growth of capuchins does not exceed 60 centimeters, theneat it small monkeys. For comparison, the chimpanzees mentioned at the beginning of the article grow up to 1.2 meters. The body weight of capuchin monkeys is from 1.5 to 5 kilograms. They have noticeable sexual dimorphism - differences in body structure between males and females of the same species. So, male capuchins are usually much larger than females. Individuals of both sexes have a dark coat, turning sharply into a light shade. The most important feature of capuchins is a wide partition between the nostrils. Because of this, they are even called "broad-nosed monkeys."

Because of the shape of their nose, capuchins are often referred to as "broad-nosed monkeys."

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Monkeys in Brazil

Capuchin monkeys live in groups of up to30 individuals. In addition to searching for food, they clean wool and play. All members of the group consider it their duty to take care of the cubs, therefore, in case of any danger, they rush to the rescue. The enemies of these monkeys are eagles and other birds of prey, which can reach them at high altitude. In each group of capuchins there is a main male, however, he does not claim all the females - the females are free to choose their own partner.

Capuchins have a very unusual appearance.

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The smartest monkeys after chimpanzees

Of particular note is the fact that capuchins are consideredthe most intelligent monkeys of the American continent. Not only can they make a wide range of sounds for communication, they are also capable of making tools. Scientists have observed many times how these creatures use stones to open hard nuts. When they catch tree frogs, they use the bark of the trees to clear them of slime. In addition to all this, capuchin monkeys wipe their hair with odorous substances - this is a kind of perfume!

Capuchin report from National Geographic

Researchers have recently found evidence thatCapuchins gained intelligence a very long time ago, about 50,000 years ago. Previously, archaeologists have conducted research in the Brazilian rock formation of Pedra Furada, which contains hundreds of archaeological sites that are several thousand years old. There they found many samples of stone tools and believed that they were made by ancient people.

Location in Brazil where stone tools were found

However, after comparison with the products of modernCapuchins, scientists came to the conclusion that tools were made by ancient primates - ancient people made completely different stone tools. Given the age of the finds, it turns out that capuchins had good intelligence thousands of years ago.

Capuchin monkey with a stone tool in his hands

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Perhaps capuchins are the most intelligent monkeys afterchimpanzee. It would be interesting to see a ranking of the smartest primates, but there are no such studies to date. This list would obviously include macaques, who on the Indonesian island of Bali generally founded something like an organized crime group. They steal phones from tourists and give them back only in exchange for something tasty. We talked about this amazing phenomenon in more detail in a separate article - here is the link. There's even a video!