Possible causes of sex differences in the use of natural hammers by wild chimpanzees

Bibliographic Collection: 
MOCA Reference, APE
Publication Type: Journal Article
Authors: Christophe Boesch; Hedwige Boesch
Year of Publication: 1984
Journal: Journal of Human Evolution
Volume: 13
Pagination: 415 - 440
Publication Language: eng
ISSN: 0047-2484
Keywords: Chimpanzees
Abstract:

The wild chimpanzees of the Tai National Park, Ivory Coast, present an important sex difference in nut-cracking behavior: Adult females more frequently perform the two most difficult techniques, coula cracking in the tree and panda cracking. Adult females are more efficient than males in all the three nut-cracking techniques for one or the other measure of efficiency (number of hits/nut and number of nuts opened/min). The analysis of 5 hypotheses which may explain these differences, stresses the role of the difference of sociability and sexual dimorphism between the sexes, both negatively affecting the nut-cracking techniques and performance of the adult males. We shall discuss the role of these factors on the evolution of the division of labor and food-sharing in the chimpanzee and in early hominids.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0047-2484(84)80055-X
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