Ephemeral technology: the archaeology of chimpanzee termite fishing

Abstract

Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) termite fishing has been studied for decades. However, we still know little about how raw material for the extraction of tools is obtained. This is particularly true for potential selection criteria and what these imply for underlying cognitive mechanisms, such as forward planning. In this seminar, I discuss chimpanzee termite fishing through a primate archaeology approach and explore implications for the origins of technology in early hominins.

Katarina 'Kat' Almeida-Warren

Leverhulme Early Career Fellow

My research focuses on the archaeology of non-human primates to shed light on the behaviours, culture, and technology of our earliest ancestors