Copying others can help young orangutans build a broad diet
The rainforest-dwelling apes spend more than 8 years learning how to cope on their own and now we have a clearer idea of how they work out which foods to incorporate into their diet
Young orangutans can broaden their diet by observing how other orangutans choose their food, according to researchers. This social learning helps compensate for the time spent independently learning survival skills. Sumatran orangutans typically become independent around 8.5 years old, when they must know what foods are safe, where to find them, and how to process them.
Thillaikumar and colleagues observed nearly 7,000 instances of learning during over 1,700 hours of wild Sumatran orangutan observations at Suaq Balimbing, Indonesia. The youngsters varied in their reliance on social learning versus independent exploration. Those who engaged in social learning and individual exploration had broader diets.
Young orangutans who observed others for about 145 minutes after closely watching another orangutan also tended to continue manipulating new objects or trying new foods. This observation-practice behavior is similar to children imitating adults. The study highlights the importance of considering multiple forms of learning when predicting dietary breadth at maturity in orangutans.
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