Making the perfect tool
May 16, 2015 by Debbie -
After breakfast Jamie set out onto Young’s Hill with purpose in her step.
We watched as she very methodically selected a bamboo shoot and headed back into the greenhouse.
As it turns out, she had unsuccessfully attempted to get some peanuts outside the caging using a toy rake. The handle was just slightly too big to reach out to the peanuts.
The bamboo stick was a little too cumbersome, so Jamie needed to tweak it a bit. First she broke it in half, and then she removed some of the branches.
Now that she designed the perfect tool, she could reach the peanuts!
Success.
20 Comments
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Great example of making and using tools! You should share this story with Dr. Jane Goodall. I bet she would find this interesting since Jamie spent so much time in the lab and probably never learned this tool making skill from her mother. I will share this with my animal behavior students. I have shared many stories with my students about the unique personalities and behaviors of the Cle Elum seven.
Jamie did live with a trainer for about nine years before going to the lab—which is probably why she is more human-oriented than the other chimps. Still, it’s very impressive that she has learned this type of tool modification, but not surprising for her—she is very, very smart and always solving puzzles in her mind!
Great post! Jamie is a very resourceful lady.
So smart! Did she share?
She didn’t share, per say, but she abandoned the tool after awhile and Missy was able to snag a few peanuts as well 🙂
She probably burned more energy than there was in the peanuts so I suspect it was just for the fun of it, the invention and seeing if it works. My kind of girl.
That is exactly what Jamie is all about—projects are most interesting to her for the challenge, not always the “reward.”
Tool making 101! Jamie is a genius! As Amy above stated, this is so amazing because Jamie did not learn this behavior — she is self taught. I love Jamie’s brain. How did she endure all those years, mentally unchallenged? What fun she must have had today getting those peanuts.
So happy Jamie has the freedom to think, experiment, and test her theories at CSNW! ; )
Oh she definitely does test a LOT of theories, including how she can use her tools to work on taking apart the building or poke the caregivers 😉
She is so clever – way to go Jamie!
Wonderful. She a very smart old girl.
I know nobody here is actually surprised. This is Jamie, after all.
Very true!
Tool making, yes. But tool modification…that’s awesome!!
Amazing feat! She is remarkable! This skill is something that is passed down from mother to child. How did she learn to do this?
Hi Karen and Don,
Presumably she did learn from observation, and also Jamie is just very resourceful. She figures things out on her own all the time! 🙂 Though she didn’t grow up with her mother, I would imagine that being around humans until she was nine years old did expose her to more opportunities for developing problem-solving skills than she would have if she had been in a lab her whole life.
This is so incredibly awesome!
Jamie is very smart. She could teach a lot people a thing or two.
Clever girl! It looks like Jamie was examining the branch for effectiveness from the moment she picked it up on the Hill. Not too big, the little twigs can come off . . . yes, this one will work. Very, very smart!
ITs all about Miss Jamie.
I could of fingered that one out.
JUst alittlle joke from Karen and Ross while we are in Ireland
Hope all is well
Love you guys