Apparently, humans aren’t the only creatures that can cook.
A study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B suggests that chimpanzees prefer to cook and actually have the ability to cook, according to Discovery News.
When presented with easy-to-operate devices, chimpanzees will reportedly most likely choose to cook.
For the recent study, researchers reportedly carried out nine different experiments. Chimpanzees were reportedly presented with a raw or cooked sweet potato at room temperature to see which they preferred for the first experiment.
A large majority reportedly chose the cooked potato. The second experiment reportedly showed that chimpanzees have the patience when waiting for cooked food while the third, fourth and fifth experiments found that the chimps generally choose to cook their food if given the right devices.
The sixth experiment reportedly showcased the chimpanzees’ basic cooking skills while the seventh found that chimps pick and choose which edible items to cook.
The ninth and final experiment reportedly showed that chimps will go as far as transporting food in order to cook it.
However, despite the recent study, it would be fairly difficult to trust chimpanzees to cook for themselves.
“There are some ethical issues with providing the chimpanzees access to actual fire — given the danger,” co-author Alexandra Rosati of Yale University’s Department of Psychology stated.
Aside from the safety issue, chimpanzees may not be developed enough socially to start cooking their own food, according to USA Today.
“Trust is another component for cooking to become a practice in a social group,” stated co-author Felix Warneken of Harvard University’s Department of Psychology, according to BBC News.
“This is required in addition to the individual psychological capacities that we targeted in our experiments.”
