Scientists intrigued at gorilla’s use of tools

AN infant gorilla in a Congo sanctuary is smashing palm nuts between two rocks to extract oil, surprising and intriguing scientists who say they have much to learn about what gorillas can do - and about what that says about evolution.

It had been thought that premeditated use of stones and sticks to accomplish a task like cracking nuts was restricted to humans and the smaller, more agile chimpanzees. Then in late September, keepers at a Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International sanctuary saw 2½-year-old female gorilla Itebero smashing palm nuts between rocks in the “hammer and anvil” technique, considered among the most complex tool use behaviours.

“This is a surprising finding, given what we know about tool use in gorillas,” Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund primatologist Patrick Mehlman said earlier this month at his Goma office.