For a long time, it was believed that the handling of stone instruments was something exclusive to humans and hominids. However, new studies indicate that there are animals that entered the Stone Age. By this we mean that other species have also developed this ability in their own evolutionary processes.
Primates in the Stone Age
New studies point out that other primates managed to develop tools with stones in the past. In these cases, their use served as a kind of behavior animals, something similar to what it was with humans in other times.
Including, studies also show that the very tools that these primates developed were, in a way, similar to those developed by man. For example, today it is already known that a group of chimpanzees used a pointed stone as a hammer to crack nuts and then, if to feed.
According to this 2007 study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Ivory Coast chimpanzees handled rocks 4,300 years ago! In fact, this ”Stone Age” of chimpanzees dates back to a moment before the emergence of the first agricultural villages in this region.
Other primate species have also developed similar activities, such as the capuchin monkey and the long-tailed monkey. All of these species managed to develop their own stone-based tools to carry out day-to-day functions, such as feeding and protecting themselves.
The Stone Age of Otters
Another animal seems to be entering its own stone age right now. These are sea otters, as scientists have already observed them with stone objects that served as instruments to help them with their food. In this way, researchers are willing to investigate the transformation that is taking place in the ecosystem of these animals.
According to a study published in Scientific Reports in 2019, California researchers recorded otters hitting open mussels on rocks. It is even possible to find marks on stones similar to those produced by this movement in other regions, where there are otter communities.
