Susana Carvalho

I am both a primatologist and archaeologist. My research has been focused on the interface between archaeology and primatology, and on using living primates as behavioral models for understanding the origins of technological behavior. I have been one of the founders of the emerging field of primate archaeology. Some examples of topics covered by my research include: wild chimpanzee tool-use based on natural observations and field experimentation; resource exploitation strategies in chimpanzee tool-use; classification and recognition of tools used by wild chimpanzees; hominin and chimpanzee raw material preferences; the earliest tool-use sites and assemblages; the evolution of carrying behavior (transport) and other technology-related behaviors. My main research has been conducted in Guinea, Kenya and Tanzania.