Spanish chimps learn to make tastier food

Scientists say the chimps mash their food because they like the way it tastes

August 17, 2000
Web posted at: 12:29 PM EDT (1629 GMT)

MADRID, Spain (Reuters) -- A toothless chimpanzee at the Madrid zoo has given her companions a taste for turning fruit and vegetables into purees in what could be a scientific first.

New Scientist magazine said the chimps appeared to be the first animals to mash food simply because they prefer the taste and texture.

Chimps use various techniques to obtain food, like fishing termites out of mounds with sticks, but they have not been known to change the quality of their food, this week's edition of the magazine said.

The female chimp, Linda, had her teeth removed by a beach resort photographer to stop her biting tourists. She started the mashing habit after moving to Madrid zoo in 1992.

Now most of her group routinely rub their apples, carrots, lemons and oranges on a sharp corner in their enclosure for about 10 seconds and then lick up the puree.

Samuel Fernandez-Carriba, one of three scientists who have studied their behavior, told New Scientist there was no evidence food transformation existed in the wild because animals appeared to have no time to waste.

"But if you have the time, you might cook all day and make something nice," Fernandez-Carriba said. "Maybe this is one more piece of evidence that we are not as unique as we previously thought."

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