Wild Chimpanzees Pass Tools to Youngsters, Evidence of Teaching

Researchers at the Jane Goodall Institute’s Dindefelo station captured 33 tool‑transfer events between wild western chimpanzees over 15 hours of footage from 2017‑2025. The transfers included 19 instances of ant‑dipping sticks, 10 algae‑fishing sticks, and four termite‑fishing tools, with 30 % occurring from mother to offspring. In one video, mother Soukki guided her infant Saïsaï to a dipping stick, which Saïsaï then used to eat ants. Additional footage showed a mother, Féré, positioning baobab fruit for her infant son Fotti, who eventually cracked the fruit after observing a juvenile pound it against rocks. In each case the teacher forwent food, meeting the behavioral criteria for teaching. The study confirms that wild chimpanzees actively transmit tool‑use knowledge, illustrating cultural learning in primates.