title: Wild monkeys flake stone tools.
abstract: Our understanding of the emergence of technology shapes how we view the origins of humanity. Sharp-edged stone flakes, struck from larger cores, are the primary evidence for the earliest stone technology. Here we show that wild bearded capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus) in Brazil deliberately break stones, unintentionally producing recurrent, conchoidally fractured, sharp-edged flakes and cores that have the characteristics and morphology of intentionally produced hominin tools. The production of archaeologically visible cores and flakes is therefore no longer unique to the human lineage, providing a comparative perspective on the emergence of lithic technology. This discovery adds an additional dimension to interpretations of the human Palaeolithic record, the possible function of early stone tools, and the cognitive requirements for the emergence of stone flaking.
authors.affiliation: Primate Archaeology Research Group, School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, Dyson Perrins Building, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK.
authors.forename: Tomos
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Proffitt
authors.affiliation: Primate Archaeology Research Group, School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, Dyson Perrins Building, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK.
authors.forename: Lydia V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Luncz
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05508-030, Brazil.
authors.forename: Tiago
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Falótico
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05508-030, Brazil.
authors.forename: Eduardo B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Ottoni
authors.affiliation: Institute of Archaeology, University College London, 31-34 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PY, UK.
authors.forename: Ignacio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: de la Torre
authors.affiliation: Primate Archaeology Research Group, School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, Dyson Perrins Building, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Haslam
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000502:physiology*; D001106:Archaeology; D001938:Brazil; D002428:Cebus / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D010163:Paleontology; D000068316:Parks, Recreational; D053001:Tool Use Behavior