Development of combinatorial manipulation in infant baboons (Papio cynocephalus anubis)

Infant baboons (Papio cynocephalus anubis) housed in individual cages combined objects and used tools in play and food acquisition. The baboons first combined objects at age 2 months, placed objects inside a container at age 4 months, and repeatedly used paper towels as sponges at age 6 months. The results of this investigation demonstrate that infant baboons develop extensive manipulative propensities during the first postnatal semester. These data are consistent with hypotheses that (a) creative recombination facilitates the acquisition of novel behavior patterns and (b) the development of combinatorial manipulation in baboons parallels the development of analogous abilities in human infants.