When it comes to meals , chimps have a lot of secrets up their sleeve that we ’re only beginning to fall upon . First , we learned that theirtaste runs to tortoises , which they bash and smash open to get to the meat indoors . Now , we ’ve discovered they ’re also partial to a smear of freshwater crab , and regularly fish for them even when there ’s wad of yield lying around .
They ’re not quite whipping up their own chowder or devilled crab recipe , but we did n’t know that they regularly fished for crab until now .
research worker from Kyoto University discovered that wild chimps in the rainforest of the Nimba Mountains in Guinea habitually enamour and consume crabs , not just opportunistically or when other food source are low , the first fourth dimension this has been observed in non - human apes . report in theJournal of Human Evolution , they suggest this may help us empathize how and when our hominin ancestors started douse into an aquatic diet , a change that would finally lead to us .
zillion of age ago , former humans ' diet would have appear a lot like chimpanzee ’ today – lots of fruit , seed , plants , and crackpot . Around 2.6 million years ago they started eating meat , but there is evidence it was the foundation of aquatic animate being into their diet , such as turtles , crocodile , and fish , around 1.95 million years agothat provide vital genius - development compounds that run an crucial part in the evolution of larger brains .
" The aquatic fauna our ancestors consumed likely provided essential retentive - mountain chain polyunsaturated fatso back breaker , required for optimal learning ability development and function , " said first writer Kathelijne Koops in astatement .
They first observed the chimps fish for Cancer in the waterways of the rainforest in 2012 . They observed the behavior of the Pan troglodytes for two years , document how the mainly distaff chimp would lift rocks and dig out in the clay with their finger to hunt out the tasty crustaceans , and how often this would be their go - to meal . They also compared the nutritionary time value of crabs to other promptly available foods .
female teach the juvenile person how to appear for tasty crustacean . Kyoto University / Kathelijne Koops
They found that not only did holler take place all year around , no matter of time of year or teemingness of other food , but the chimps tended to eat fewer ants , a staple in their dieting , suggesting the crabs filled a similar or even good theatrical role in their diet .
" Energy and sodium levels in large Cancer are comparative with ants , " excuse Koops , " contribute us to conjecture that crabs may be an of import year - round of golf root of protein and salts for female – especially when pregnant or nursing – and for grow juveniles . "
It is n’t the first time hierarch have been keep catching crabs , but it is the first time an ape that is n’t human has been . Notably , the monkeys were honour by lake , rivers , and coastlines , whereas this took place in a closed wood .
The researcher believe this conduct sheds light on how and why our human ancestors first turned to aquatic animals in two way . First , by revealing that sportfishing is not as bound by habitats as antecedently thought so man that lived in forests could have had an aquatic dieting . And second , that aquatic creature could have been a staple dieting of those humans , and not a supplementary origin to devolve back on when others were scarce .
We already know that chimpanzees haveentered the Stone Age , and they’velearned to scotch roads . Perhaps a brain boost from an aquatic diet will push them to follow in their ape cousin-german ' footsteps ?
