A mother chimpanzee teaches her baby to fish for termites

“Families have a new role: to provide emotional support. For mother and baby, nothing in the world is more important or brings greater joy.”

This clip from Natural World: Wild Mothers and Babies, narrated by David Attenborough, shares two stories. In the first, a chimpanzee teaches her baby how to catch termites with a stick. As the baby observes, mother pushes a stick in a dirt hole to fish the insect snacks out, and gently corrects the baby’s first attempts to copy her.

“Baby chimpanzees spend years learning about each other and their traditions. Families are the schools. In central Africa, chimps crack nuts with rocks. The trick passed from mother to baby down the generations; it’s part of their culture. In east Africa, they catch termites using twigs. Babies watch and learn…

“Only humans are supposed actively to teach, but textbooks can be rewritten.”

The second part of the clip focuses on an orangutan and her newborn. She will have seven to nine years to focus on this child, teaching them how to find food and live from day to day in the Southeast Asian island forests of Borneo or Sumatra.

“It’s not just primates; it seems likely all mammals, and maybe birds, too, feel emotions and make thoughtful choices, particularly around babies.”

Continue that story with this clip: An orangutan teaches her daughter how to survive in the Sumatran rainforest.

Then watch more primate mothers and babies:
• Orangutan Smile: A mother orangutan cuddles her baby
• Five tender minutes with Goodali, mother Gremlin’s baby chimpanzee
• Calaya gives birth to baby gorilla Moke at The National Zoo
• Baby orangutan Peanut doesn’t want to climb the ropes

Plus, more about chimp emotions and tool use: The Story of Jane Goodall and Her Chimps (2010).