WIKIMEDIA, ZYANCE
Populations of orangutans living in different jungle habitats develop and transmit distinct behaviors in a manner akin to human cultural transmission, according to a new Current Biology study that considered the effects of geography, genetics, and environment on the behavioral differences. Researchers have previously shown that populations of the red apes living in the jungles of Borneo and Sumatra perform certain behaviors—such as kissing into a clenched fist like a trumpet or using a branch as a fly swatter—in different ways. But it has been unclear whether the variation among populations was due to social learning, indicating culture, as opposed to variation in the environment or genetics. Now, researchers from the University of Zurich have shown, using thousands of hours of behavioral observation data combined ...
