“ Orang hutan "Means" man of the forest "in one of Indonesia's many languages and our longtime cousins actually show a remarkable ability to imitate our behavior.
The use of tools among orangutans was first documented by Carel van Schaik . In 1994 , Carel he watched orangutans develop tools to help them eat while conducting fieldwork in Gunung Leuser National Park , in the northwest of Sumatra .
Specifically, orangutans used sticks to force fleshy fruits that had "needles" capable of releasing a painful poison. Using tools, the orangutans manipulated the spiny skin of the nutritious fruit. From an anthropological point of view, the use of tools represents an aspect of culture, since the whole group participates in a behavior that has developed over time.
Recently, Gerd Schuster , co-author of Thinkers of the Jungle : The Orangutan Report , took this photo:A male orangutan, clinging precariously to overhanging branches, shakes the water with a pole, desperately trying to skewer a passing fish.
The extraordinary image, a world exclusive, was taken in Borneo on the island of Kaja .
This individual had seen locals fishing with spears on the Gohong River .
Although the method required too many skills to master, he was later able to improvise using the pole to catch fish already trapped in the local fishing lines.