60秒科学:On-The-Job Chimps Use Multiple Tools

To do a job right, you need the right tools. Even a chimp¹ knows that. According to a study in the American Journal of Primatology, chimps² in the Congo use multiple tools to capture army ants.

You’ve probably seen footage of chimps using sticks to harvest honey or trap termites³. But when it comes to collecting ants, the apes are all over the place—sometimes using tools, other times going in barehanded. To investigate these different techniques, a research team spent almost 10 years in the Congo, filming chimpanzees and collecting more than 1000 ant-fishing tools. And they found that the nastier the ant, the more likely the ape is to pick up a stick.

Chimps that tear open a nest with their hands risk getting bitten, and driving the insects away. Instead, many chimps use a series of tools: one to poke⁴ a hole in the nest, and another to dip in to gather a few tasty specimens⁵. They even pick up tools left behind by other chimps.

Now, would an infinite number of chimpanzees using an infinite number of tools produce a Louis-the-Fourteenth-style table and chairs? It’s doubtful. But they’d probably catch an infinite number of ants.

—Karen Hopkin

 

1 chimp   

n.黑猩猩

参考例句：

• In fact,the color of gorilla and chimp are light-color.其实大猩猩和黑猩猩的肤色是较为浅的。
• The chimp is the champ.猩猩是冠军。

2 chimps   

（非洲）黑猩猩( chimp的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Chimps are too scarce, and too nearly human, to be routinely slaughtered for spare parts. 黑猩猩又太少，也太接近于人类，不可以作为人器官备用件说杀就杀。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 医学的第四次革命
• And as nonprimates, they provoke fewer ethical and safety-related concerns than chimps or baboons. 而且作为非灵长类，就不会产生像用黑猩猩或狒狒那样的伦理和安全方面的顾虑。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 医学的第四次革命

3 termites   

n.白蚁( termite的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Termites are principally tropical in distribution. 白蚁主要分布在热带地区。 来自辞典例句
• This spray will exterminate the termites. 这种喷剂能消灭白蚁。 来自辞典例句

4 poke   

n.刺，戳，袋；vt.拨开，刺，戳；vi.戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢

参考例句：

• We never thought she would poke her nose into this.想不到她会插上一手。
• Don't poke fun at me.别拿我凑趣儿。

5 specimens   

n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人

参考例句：

• Astronauts have brought back specimens of rock from the moon. 宇航员从月球带回了岩石标本。
• The traveler brought back some specimens of the rocks from the mountains. 那位旅行者从山上带回了一些岩石标本。 来自《简明英汉词典》