Sanz publishes the first direct comparison of tool skill acquisition between two groups of chimpanzees

Researchers including Crickette Sanz, associate professor of biological anthropology in Arts & Sciences, published the first direct comparison of tool skill acquisition between two populations of chimpanzees, those at Republic of Congo’s Goualougo Triangle and those more than 1,300 miles to the east, in Gombe, Tanzania. Their findings underscore how the developmental trajectory of life skills can vary considerably depending on the task and across chimpanzee populations, which have unique local cultures. The study was published Aug. 16 in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology.