We suppose it was only a matter of time before it happened. Sci-fi extravaganza, Planet of the Apes, portended a world where apes had evolved to become the dominant species on the planet with humans relegated into slavery and/or sport. Of course, it took a wayward spaceship and a conveniently located time-altering wormhole to arrive in that apocalyptic world. Now it appears that apes (chimpanzees in particular) aren’t that far behind us in the evolutionary rat-race.

It’s fairly well known that apes make use of tools in their lives. Gorillas have been known to use sticks to gauge the depth of muddy rivers before crossing, use logs as bridges to cross smallish streams and even use tree stumps as postural support while dredging for food in swamps. Chimpanzees use stone tools to crush nuts and fruits, sticks to fish for termites while bonobos use twigs with frayed ends to soak up liquids. Orangutans even use leaves to modify their calls (reference HERE).

Between March 2005 and July 2006, two researchers documented the astonishing use of hunting weapons by chimpanzees. Thus far, there have been 22 documented cases of chimpanzees using self-made spears to hunt lesser primates called bush babies. The spears are fashioned by breaking off live tree limbs, stripping them of side branches, trimming them to length, stripping them of bark and then sharpening an end. Based on limited evidence, the researchers hypothesized the spears were used to incapacitate the bush babies prior to being eaten. You can read more about the details HERE and HERE (sadly the original report has to be purchased).

Chimps using spears to hunt for prey. Sounds suspiciously like our own suggested evolution from ape-like creatures. How long before apes master fire, the wheel and then start building pyramids? For us at the Womb, the end of the humankind will officially arrive once the apes become proficient in customer service. If you think outsourcing to India has resulted in frustrating customer support, imagine what it’ll be like when an account inquiry is answered with “ooh-ooh-ah-ah” instead of “thank you come again.” We think it might be prudent to maintain a stock of bananas from now on.

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