I dunno, I also saw a picture of a great white shark jumping out of the water for a Navy Seal. ;)

Until I see some serious corroboration, I call BS.

Agreed. This looks photochopped.

But did he catch anything? You can put a spear in my hand and say I'm a genius - but I can tell you it doesn't mean I'm eating tonight :)

Agreed. More impressive is the orangutan's apparent ability to make a spear (since there aren't any other straight sticks in the background).

I third that. Definitely photoshopped.

It does look a bit odd (outside of the ape using a tool). What is that thing that looks like it is growing out of the top of its head??? Is that in the background or am I seeing things?

He must be fishing for a banana that got away from him b/c I dont believe they eat meat!!

No no, you have it all wrong! That's just Robin Williams. No orangutan is _that_ hairy.

If you think that cool you should see its fighting stick monkey style kata.

:D

Bobo know:

Swing pipe at water, get happy banana time.

Not so fast. "Technology" is a larger concept than a picture of an ape using a spear. That might be just mimicry.

To say that "technology" is being used -- or even just tools are being used -- would need some evidence of that the concept of "technology" or "tool" is understood to some degree. Things to look for are multiple apes independently coming up with an idea; modifying a tool for different purposes, etc.

Now, since this is a matter of judgement, there probably won't ever be complete agreement anyway...

Not so fast. "Technology" is a larger concept than a picture of an ape using a spear. That might be just mimicry.

To say that "technology" is being used -- or even just tools are being used -- would need some evidence of that the concept of "technology" or "tool" is understood to some degree. Things to look for are multiple apes independently coming up with an idea; modifying a tool for different purposes, etc.

Now, since this is a matter of judgement, there probably won't ever be complete agreement anyway...

I don't know about this picture, but there was an article recently in National Geographic about chimpanzees using spear-like weapons to hunt bush babies. Perhaps an orangutan could fashion a spear as well.

A formerly captive monkey is released into the wild, given a long staight stick and curiously slaps the water with the stick...how is this news? There is a massive difference between slapping and spearing and this picture shows slapping. It possibly learnt the behaviour from being herd around with sticks while in captivity.
Not impressed at all. Show me a fish on the end of that stick and I'll be impressed. Aren't orangutangs vegetarians anyway? I don't think they'd eat a fish presented with one.

Not sure about that particular photo, but this is no BS. Check out a show called Orangutan Island on Animal Planet. Fish is not even (normally) part of their diet, but these guys are breaking all kinds of rules. Worth a look.

Disclosure: I do not work for Discovery Networks, but I have visited Kaja Island (my mother owns property 10km down the road)

Crows (or Ravens, I can't remember) use tools. So do chimps. Not to mention sea otters. Is that the Loch Ness in the background?

*** "Not so fast. "Technology" is a larger concept than a picture of an ape using a spear. That might be just mimicry."

I am something of an engineer, most people I know that are engineers, to do there jobs, use mimicry very heavy. The idea of engineering scares most people to death, they say that they could never do this yet most people do engineering on a regular basis and dont realise it.

HOWEVER,
1. if you look at the end of the "spear" you will see water in a SPLASH POSITION like he struck the water. May be hitting a snake?
2. the "spear" looks like a bamboo or the jagies could be low res photo shop in any case the "spear" looks strange.

IN ANY CASE an Orangutan IS fully capable of using a spear. If a 11 year old Orangutan can do simple mechanic work on a car (this is documented) that would be chicken soup. I know plenty of people that would not attempt to change oil in a car or truck, at the least one Orangutan is documented to do this for fun.

I think the "spear" is probally a bamboo and it is probally hitting a snake, Orangutans hate any kind of snake.

that picture doesn't look right. the spear does appear to be a bit too straight, but look at the "skyward" side. it's a little "nubby" which suggests it's not a broom handle.

the hand position of the orangutan is iffy though. why hold a spear like you're holding a pencil, if you're going to "slap" at the water? That's quite a splash, and it looks like the stick entered the water laterally instead of being thrust into it.

I think the concept of non-human primates using tools is well documented, but in this particular photo, it looks awfully dodgy.

Perhaps a photo stream would be better received if we could see the before, during and after shots.

Tool use amongst non-human animals has been well documented, starting with chimps nearly half a century ago. Regardless of this particular photograph, which has many of you complaining, no one should actually still believe in this day and age that humans are the only ones that can use tools! This small Treehugger blip seems to imply that this orangutan is the first example of such, and makes no mention of the numerous previous discoveries, which is very misleading!

It was mentioned in another version of this story somewhere (sorry, don't have link) that the orangutan was actually using the stick to snag fishing lines and then stealing any fish. The fishermen weren't happy about it but if you piss off a orangutan it is fully capable of ripping off your arms and beating you with them.

i think this is definitely not photoshopped, because it is not that spectacular to begin with: animals have been known to use tools, and usually the human ability to use tools as a trait that distinguishes us from animals should be taken to refer to second degree tools, that is tools made with other tools (for example, sharpening a stick with a stone to make a spear, as opposed to using an already sharp stick as a spear - large apes can generally do the latter).

as to the people who are so eager to call bullshit on the image, when saying it was photoshopped they should state some arguments or point to some details in the picture, because otherwise their reasoning is something like 'if it's an image of something i haven't heard about or haven't seen before, it's fake'. this is very narrow-minded.

This photo is 100% authentic. The orangutan pictured is just one of hundreds living at the Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Rehabilitation Center, which is operated by the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation in Borneo (Indonesia).

Kaja is a small island in the middle of the Rungan river where a few dozen orangutans are living until they can be released back into a safe section of the rainforest. The problem is that due to the unchecked spreading of palm oil plantations, the forest is being cut down and orangutans are being slaughtered. This orangutan, like the 650 others at the Center, is an orphan. He watched as his mother was murdered and his forest home was destroyed. You can see him and the others on the series "Orangutan Island' on Animal Planet.

Because of deforestation by the palm oil industry, orangutans are predicted to be extinct in the wild in less than 10 years. To learn more about orangutans and how to help them, please visit the Orangutan Outreach website at redapes.org.

Thanks, Rich

Richard Zimmerman
Director, Orangutan Outreach
http://redapes.org
Reach out and save the orangutans!

I think it's photoshopped. How can be a spear made of wood be so perfectly straight?

@ Danny about the strange thing near his head - it's a fish!!! I don't know whether or not this is photoshopped, etc... but there *is* a fish involved for all of the people noting that this picture is just of him jabbing a stick into the water.

That "fish" in the background is actually a tiger prawn the Orangutan is using for bait. If you look closely, you can see the string. The fact that the other end of the pole is in the water is simply due to the fact that it's a stupid animal. But it's learning, and that's cute.

I'd rather be fishing...

I don't get why an animal that is mostly vegetarian would think to fish? They live off mostly fruit, why would they even see fish as food?

@ Olivia: humans used to be vegetarian. We started fishing at some point, why did we start to see fish as food?

Yes, humans used to be vegetarian. I don't know why we started eating meat other then we ran out of vegies, saw that other animals could eat meat, so why not us?

Anywho, who's to say animals can't evolve?

If you grab a stick and hold it like this guy, try getting enough momentum to "slap" the water, it's not going to work, he's CLEARLY in the "Spear" position, just look at the wrist.

I don't think this is photoshopped, these guys are REALLY smart for animals.

Also, to answer the mystery of where he got the stick, i'm pretty sure people live near him, so why couldn't he have stolen their fishing spear? lol.

I'm sure pretty sure we could teach these guys to eat fish/meat or how to fish. Great apes are infact our closest relatives of the evolution chain, why is everyone so skeptical?

Some other cool stuff regarding high intelligence in animals:

Darwin discovered finches in the Galapagos that use a stick or cactus spine to pry worms and bugs out of trees when their tongues are not long enough to reach. They mimic woodpeckers; but make up for their lack physiological shortcomings with some ingenuity. Sometimes the same tool is used over and over again.

See video of this on BBC - Galapagos (3 part series available in HD).

Also search the keywords: tool use birds

There are a colony of stinger-less jellyfish in Palau (near Indonesia/Phillipines) that were featured in some episode of Survivor. Not many details were given in that show; but a little research shows that these fish are agrarian. They grow their own food supply (a form of algae) on their bodies by migrating to different parts of the salt-water lake to collect minerals and sunlight.

i can belive it, they are half human! their 97% human! ;0

its not a spear its holding a long stick which is submerge in the water http://blondebynature.com/was-orangutan-fishing-with-spear-a-fake/

Do monkeys even eat fish?