Monkeys in Panama Have Just Entered the Stone Age

Researchers have observed a small group of white-faced capuchin monkeys off the coast of Panama using stone tools to break nuts and shellfish. That’s right: a group of capuchin monkeys have entered the Stone Age.

These are the fourth group of primates to use stone tools after humans. It was reported all the way back in 2004 that monkeys on the island were using stone tools. In 2017, researchers placed cameras on Jicarón Island to try to capture the act on camera, which they eventually did.

Researchers saw the group of male monkeys using tools to break coconuts, snails, and crabs. For some reason, the same behavior has not spread to other groups of monkeys or other islands off Panama’s coast. The researchers think that the monkeys’ behavior may be by chance and isn’t necessarily the expected trajectory. The other three primate groups that have already entered the Stone Age are a group of capuchins in South America, macaques in Thailand, and chimpanzees in West Africa.

Watch the video below to see the monkeys in action.

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