Chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans, and even some birds have been shown to use (and sometimes even fashion) tools in the wild, for a variety of purposes. The latest find is that “gorillas use tools in the wild”:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4296606.stm, which means that there isn’t a great ape that *doesn’t* use tools.

As much as the world hates to think this, it’s becoming more and more obvious that the difference between humans and other animals is one of degree, not of kind. We haven’t developed some innate difference, we just happen to have found a runaway combination of existing qualities like social networks, tool use, and language.