Use of a tool-set by capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella)

The purpose of this study was to examine the use of a tool-set by capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella). Capuchins were presented with an apparatus designed to accommodate the use of pounding tools to crack walnuts and the use of probing tools to loosen and extract the inner meat. Three capuchins used stones and sticks sequentially for these purposes. The capuchins' behavior was similar in form and function to behavior that has been reported for chimpanzees in analogous situations. These results provide further evidence of the extensive tool-using capabilities of capuchin monkeys and are consistent with a hypothesis of cross-species continuity in the skillful use of tools by primates.