The link below is to a story I’ve been meaning to post for days, especially concerning my recent post on possible human-ape hybrids.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article3828123.ece
Being able to swim and catch fish with homemade spears doesn’t thrust these unique primates into the category of hybrids (or anything else, really). Still, these unique actions defy a handful of long understood and accepted “facts” about orangutans, especially the fact that they weren’t thought to be capable of swimming.
So far as being able to use spears (which they sharpen with their teeth) to catch fish, I’m particularly excited, as this is a clear example of conscious, intentional crafting of a tool. Previously, some orangutans and chimps have been witnessed using twigs to retrieve small insects like ants out of their nests, but questions have always surrounded whether or not using a
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