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Congo: A Group of Chimpanzees Seem to Have Mastered Fire

It is however, the first time that a group of these primates develops some technical concepts as elaborate as these on their own. A few individual apes seem to have originally developed a rudimentary technique of rather poor efficiency, but the group gradually improved it through experimentation and observation over the last few months. They are now able to create and maintain a fire, which they have been using mostly to scare off predators and cook some of their food. Some individuals in particular among the group, seem to have rapidly grown a taste for cooked foodstuffs, especially flying squirrels. This also enabled the group to develop to a population which is much larger than has ever been encountered in the species, by bringing increased security and by diversifying food sources.

- See more at: http://worldnewsdailyreport.com/congo-a ... 2iCIZ.dpuf

Please show some proof of fire making or use. The provided picture shows a chimp hitting a stick with a rock. To imply this is fire making is absurb.

Chimps have been known to use rocks to break things like sticks, evidently to get at termites and other bugs inside the wood. It is similar to crows dropping bones from a height in order to break them on rocks and get at the marrow. This is impressive demonstrations of tool usage, but to imply that the picture is fire making is truly misleading.

Dan Tibbets

Good thing it's Bonono's and not the homicidal full sized chimpanzees. It solves a paradox postulated about evolution, namely, how could full sized human brains evolve from chimp like animals without cooked food, because a full sized human brain was supposed to be required to build a fire in the first place.

Not sure the World News Daily Report is the best place to be looking for accurate news.

Still, this article is almost believable given that captive Bonobos have been taught how to start fire, and research into chimp behavior around fire shows they don't have instinctual fear of it.

Wild chimps have near human understanding of fire

It is entirely possible someone released a chimp who had been taught.

Kanzi the chimpanzee can start fires and cook

D Tibbets wrote:Please show some proof of fire making or use. The provided picture shows a chimp hitting a stick with a rock. To imply this is fire making is absurb.

Chimps have been known to use rocks to break things like sticks, evidently to get at termites and other bugs inside the wood. It is similar to crows dropping bones from a height in order to break them on rocks and get at the marrow. This is impressive demonstrations of tool usage, but to imply that the picture is fire making is truly misleading.

Dan Tibbets

I am not making the allegation, I am merely passing it on "tongue in cheek."

This posting is meant more for laughs than anything else and should not be regarded as a serious assertion.


I perused the site that posted this article, and it strikes me as a fringy site, so a great deal of credibility I would not give it.


That being said, I should not be surprised if some apes did learn to create and use fire. That they have learned English words and can understand sentences has been established to my satisfaction.


Who would have thought they would keep dogs as pets?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2lSZPTa3ho

Scupperer wrote:Not sure the World News Daily Report is the best place to be looking for accurate news.

Exactly what I thought after I had a look at some of their other "articles." Still good for a joke though.

Scupperer wrote: Still, this article is almost believable given that captive Bonobos have been taught how to start fire, and research into chimp behavior around fire shows they don't have instinctual fear of it.

Wild chimps have near human understanding of fire

It is entirely possible someone released a chimp who had been taught.

Kanzi the chimpanzee can start fires and cook

This was my first thought. Someone showed them how to do it, and they kept it going.

Well this explains the rabid space monkeys my friend says set his shorts on fire. I understand they play Mah-Jong too.