Food reveals a lot about species’ evolutionary past. Organisms are constantly adapting in response to what kind and how much of certain foods are available to them. Take, for instance, humans’ transition to agrarian living structures, which led to the development of more complex behaviors such as advanced tool-making. Chimpanzees, it turns out, are highly attuned to fluctuations in their food sources, and they have highly developed memories and planning abilities to deal with them.
Writing in National Geographic, Ed Yong described recent work done by Karline Janmaat, a scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology on how chimps get their food. By tracking a group of chimps and recording their feeding throughout the day, she found that they plan their actions in advance – even the day before – in response to where certain fruits are growing. They will even build their night’s nest near fruit trees in order to reach them early the next morning.
Commenting on Janmaat’s research, anthropologist Karel van Schaik stated, “The results are entirely consistent with the idea that the chimps are not simply prisoners of the present, but think about what to do next, and do so a while in advance.”
The chimps’ careful planning behavior in response to food might reflect aspects of humans’ evolutionary history with regard to intellectual development. Ed Yong explains:
“This ability may have been critical in our evolution. Some scientists have suggested that our vaunted smarts evolved to help us cope with scarce and patchy food like fruit. For example, larger-brained primates tend to eat a steadier level of calories all year round even though they eat highly seasonal foods. That may be because they have mental tricks like good memory, the ability to make tools, and flexibility, which allow them to find meals at all times. Janmaat’s study suggests that planning is part of that package.”
