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Guinea, West Africa

The inhabitants of this forest in Guinea, West Africa, are experts at choosing the most suitable materials for a job.

Guinea, West Africa

Sitting on a hard branch isn't always that comfortable, so this chimp strips off some soft leaves to make a cushion.

These ants make a tasty snack, but they spend most of their time in underground nests out of reach of the hungry chimps.

By selecting long, thin and flexible leaf stems, the chimps can fish the ants out.

The chimps also like to eat the inner part of palm trees.

But this inner core is very hard and the chimps can't tear off chunks to eat.

So they strip leaves off the plant.

Now, using the strong rigid stalk, they can mash up the core until it is soft enough to scoop up.

However, the palm stalks are not tough enough to crack nuts.

The chimps will need to find a harder material for this job.

Rocks.

Using a rock, this male is able to break open the nut's outer shell to reach the delicate kernel inside.

Sometimes it's not easy to spot a rock of the right size: small enough to handle, yet big and heavy enough to smash the shells.

This female is struggling to find the right rock.

She approaches the male, who lends his to her.

Chimpanzees' understanding of the properties of materials makes their lives a lot easier!

Chimps choose suitable materials based on their properties.

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