Vervet monkeys choose between trays filled with corn dyed different colors.ERICA VAN WAAL
Humans aren’t the only animals with culture, or the ability to collectively transmit and adopt behaviors among a group. Indeed, some level of cultural transmission and learning has been identified in several other species. But two studies published last month (26 April) in Science provide the strongest evidence yet, showing that vervet monkeys and humpback whales learn new behaviors from each other in much the same way as humans pick up the latest trend.
In the first study, researchers from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland created two distinct “cultures” among a group of more than 100 wild vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) in South Africa: one set was trained to eat only corn dyed blue; another to eat only pink corn. Several months later, ...
