Stages in the Development of Tool Behavior in the Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)

One way to research the phylogenetic development of actions is through experiments on and observation of the use of tools in animals. The developmental difference in the evolution of tool behavior that is represented by tool use for animals and the specifically human use of tools becomes clearest by contrasting the activity of the experimenter with the level of tool use of the experimental animal. The social structure of the chimpanzee group is reflected in the spatial relationship of the nests. The example of nest-building behavior is frequently missing from lists of tool uses by chimpanzees in their natural habitats. Experiments on tool use are empirical indicators of the difference between behavior and action in chimpanzees. In both natural observations and in laboratory experiments, chimpanzees’ tool use frequently has the same structure: the use of a stick or similar instrument to reach a goal.