Chimpanzees in some West African populations crack hard nuts using pairs of stones — one as an anvil, another as a hammer. Young chimpanzees observe adults performing this technique for years before mastering it themselves, and similar populations in other regions, despite having access to the same nuts and stones, do not use this technique.
Which conclusion most logically follows from the passage?
- A
All chimpanzee populations possess identical learned behaviors
- B
Young chimpanzees acquire the technique within days of birth
- C
The availability of nuts is the sole determinant of tool use
- Dcheck_circle
Nut-cracking technique appears to be transmitted within specific groups rather than emerging spontaneously
Explanation
Years of observation and absence in similar populations supports group-specific transmission, B. A contradicts the difference; C contradicts the years required; D contradicts unequal use with similar resources.