Self-directed tool use by giant pandas

Tool use in animals is often studied from ecological, social, cognitive and evolutionary perspectives. Among mammals, primates are the most frequent tool users, and they appear to use tools for more diverse purposes than other species¹. Ursids, the family to which giant pandas belong, rarely use tools². One old, anecdotal report of zoo-housed giant pandas using their forepaws to rub dirt or turf on their bodies is the only documented example of this species using a tool³. However, their specialized morphology, with a so-called 'false thumb', allows giant pandas, uniquely among bears, to grasp and hold objects in each forepaw or 'hand'⁴, which might favor the emergence of some kinds of tool use. Here, we report new evidence of self-directed tool use in eighteen captive giant pandas.