Elon Musk of Capuchin Monkeys Invents Nose-Picking Twig Tech
Let's see Andy Serkis pull that off in mo-cap.
In a tool-using first for female capuchin monkeys, one furry primate was caught on video plumbing the depths of her nostril with a stick.
Male capuchins in this Brazilian troop have used sticks to nab lizards while foraging, but the way this monkey wielded her stick was rather unusual. From a study published recently in the journal Primates: “This individual used several stick tools and one grass stem to probe her nostrils, usually triggering a sneeze reaction, and also used stick tools to probe her teeth or gum. Both of these behaviors were accompanied by inspection and licking of the tool following use.” Way to do a great cosplay of human booger-eating second graders, monkey!
When Jane Goodall discovered that chimpanzees used tools, back in the ‘60s, the idea that non-humans had simple technologies was revolutionary. Since then, we’ve seen everything from crows crafting hooks to dolphins wearing snout-protecting sea sponges.
And now dawn of the planet of the monkeys with nostril-twigs.
