Two minutes

The scientist who spotted chimps hunting with tools

Chimpanzees apparently have much in common with our earliest human ancestors. You won't get any argument from Jill Pruetz. She made news around the world several months ago when she reported that chimpanzees at her Senegal research site were using spear-shaped tools to hunt. She also was the first to find that chimps are seeking shelter in caves to get out of the African heat.

In good company: The Iowa State associate professor of anthropology found herself in good company when her research was mentioned in a New York Times story featuring the work of renowned primatologist Jane Goodall. Pruetz' field studies with chimps also were featured in National Geographic and will appear in a PBS "Nova" documentary.

Seriously roughing it: In studying chimps at her Fongoli site, Pruetz lives in a mud hut, endures daily temperatures in excess of 100 degrees, dodges venomous snakes and fights off annual bouts of Malaria. But that's what it takes to study chimpanzees on the African savanna.

Smithsonian material: Hunting tools used by chimpanzees in Pruetz' discovery are expected to be included in a Smithsonian exhibit in 2009.
Pruetz

"In the chimp literature, there is a lot of discussion about hunting by adult males, because basically, they're the only ones that do it -- and they don't use tools. Females are rarely involved. And so this was just kind of astounding on a number of different levels. It's not only chimps hunting with tools, but females -- and the ones who hunted the most with them were adolescent females."

Jill Pruetz

Pruetz is an Iowa State University professor who teaches in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. More Two-Minute briefs.