Wildlife

New Stone Age

A small group of wild monkeys on a Panamanian island appears to have entered into its own version of the stone age, scientists say.

While only a handful of the many white-faced capuchin monkeys that live on Jicarón have displayed the ability to use stones to crack open nuts and shellfish, they join only three other groups of nonhuman primates that have used stones for tools.

Other species that appear to have learned the practice by chance include chimpanzees in West Africa, macaques in Thailand and other species of capuchins in South America.

Until a few decades ago, it was believed humans were the only species to turn stones into tools.

Party Crasher

The rare sight of a southern right whale frolicking in New Zealand’s Wellington Harbor forced officials to postpone the city’s annual fireworks display. The untimely arrival of the marine mammal coincided with the Maori new year celebration known as Matariki.

Concerns from experts that the flashes and sounds of the pyrotechnics could cause the whale to harm itself or the boats in the harbor loaded with people wanting to enjoy the festivities, prompted the event to be postponed for a week.

New Bat Species

Two species of lemon-yellow bats were recently discovered in Kenya.