AMAZING new footage has captured the moment a female orangutan performs some handy DIY, sawing a branch better than some humans would be able to.
The gripping footage sees the female great ape cut away at the branch, putting her opposable thumbs to good use as she uses her feet to keep things steady.
She even blows away the sawdust as it gathers.
The scenes were filmed as part of the BBC One series Spy In The Wild, which features “spy-bots” – lifelike robots disguised as a series of different animals.
While happily sawing away, the female organtutan is introduced to the programme-makers’ robotic version of herself, which has been built to perform the same task.
But rather than give up the task at hand, she gets takes her competition on.
When the BBC crew arrived in the rainforest and deployed the spy orangutan to film the wild apes, they were left astounded.
Speaking on the upcoming episode, a spokesperson explained: “A rehabilitated orangutan released 35 years ago had previously learnt this behaviour by watching builders at work, but she has not been seen for many years.
“No one suspected that any fully wild orangutan knew the technique but this one suddenly picked up a saw and used it.
“Spy Orangutan had been programmed to saw, too, and when the real orangutan spotted her sawing, it seemed to spur her on.”
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Scientists used to think only humans had the ability to make weapons for killing, but the programme, set to air on Thursday evening, shows a troop of our primate cousins crafting spears for hunting.
According to former Doctor Who star David Tennant, who narrates the programme, it can take up to five years for monkeys to master the skill of crafting and hunting with the weapons.
The monkeys struggle to craft spears that are both long and strong enough for the task at hand, but each eventually rises to the occasion.
One heart-warming clip catches the moment a disgruntled male primate gives up making his spear out of frustration, deciding to take a nap instead.
Another clip from the new programme shows orangutans in Borneo acting exactly like humans, proving why scientists say they are one of the smartest species of animal.
In one scene, a female orangutan can be seen using tree bark as soap and rubbing it over her arms.
In another clip from the show, an adorable capuchin monkey gets increasingly frustrated as he fails to open a nut, despite cracking his food against a branch repeatedly.
The BBC programme has been critically acclaimed for its intimate look at the animal kingdom provided by cameras installed in a slew of robotic lookalikes.
Producers deployed 34 “spy-bots” to film the series, with elephants, lions, giraffes, monkeys, wild dogs and many other animals appearing in the five-part series.
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