News Archaeology

Capuchin monkeys’ stone-tool use has evolved over 3,000 years

A Brazilian site shows the animals’ long history of selecting various types of pounding devices

capuchin monkey

GRIPPING PAST  A Brazilian excavation indicates that capuchin monkeys have used stones as pounding tools for 3,000 years, with variations along the way in tool size and weight.

Tiago Falótico/Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

By Bruce Bower

Excavations in Brazil have pounded out new insights into the handiness of ancient monkeys.

South American capuchin monkeys have not only hammered and dug with carefully chosen stones for the last 3,000 years, but also have selected pounding tools of varying sizes and weights along the way.