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Sabbi KH, Kurilla SE, Monroe IG, Zhang Y, Menante A, Cole MF, Otali E, Kobusingye M, Emery Thompson M, Muller MN, Wrangham RW, Machanda ZP. Ecological variation in adult social play reveals a hidden cost of motherhood for wild chimpanzees. Curr Biol 2024; 34:1364-1369.e2. [PMID: 38490201 PMCID: PMC11002997 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.02.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2024] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
Though common among humans, social play by adults is an uncommon occurrence in most animals, even between parents and offspring.1,2,3 The most common explanation for why adult play is so rare is that its function and benefits are largely limited to development, so that social play has little value later in life.3,4,5,6 Here, we draw from 10 years of behavioral data collected by the Kibale Chimpanzee Project to consider an alternative hypothesis: that despite its benefits, adult play in non-humans is ecologically constrained by energy shortage or time limitations. We further hypothesized that, since they may be the only available partners for their young offspring, mother chimpanzees pay greater costs of play than other adults. Our analysis of nearly 4,000 adult play bouts revealed that adult chimpanzees played both among themselves and with immature partners. Social play was infrequent when diet quality was low but increased with the proportion of high-quality fruits in the diet. This suggests that adults engage in play facultatively when they have more energy and/or time to do so. However, when diet quality was low and most adult play fell to near zero, play persisted between mothers and offspring. Increased use of play by adult chimpanzees during periods of resource abundance suggests that play retains value as a social currency beyond development but that its costs constrain its use. At the same time, when ecological conditions constrain opportunities for young to play, play by mothers fills a critical role to promote healthy offspring development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kris H Sabbi
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 11 Divinity Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Department of Anthropology, Tufts University, 110 Braker Hall, 8 Upper Campus Rd, Medford, MA 02155, USA.
| | - Sophia E Kurilla
- Department of Anthropology, Tufts University, 110 Braker Hall, 8 Upper Campus Rd, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Isabelle G Monroe
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Eat Hall 1004, 530 Church St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Yukun Zhang
- Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Ashley Menante
- Department of Anthropology, Tufts University, 110 Braker Hall, 8 Upper Campus Rd, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Megan F Cole
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, MSC01-1040, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Emily Otali
- Kibale Chimpanzee Project, PO Box 409, Fort Portal, Uganda
| | | | - Melissa Emery Thompson
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, MSC01-1040, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA; Kibale Chimpanzee Project, PO Box 409, Fort Portal, Uganda
| | - Martin N Muller
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, MSC01-1040, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA; Kibale Chimpanzee Project, PO Box 409, Fort Portal, Uganda
| | - Richard W Wrangham
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 11 Divinity Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Kibale Chimpanzee Project, PO Box 409, Fort Portal, Uganda
| | - Zarin P Machanda
- Department of Anthropology, Tufts University, 110 Braker Hall, 8 Upper Campus Rd, Medford, MA 02155, USA; Kibale Chimpanzee Project, PO Box 409, Fort Portal, Uganda
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Kuswanda W, Alikodra HS, Margules C, Supriatna J. The estimation of demographic parameters and a growth model for Tapanuli orangutan in the Batang Toru Landscape, South Tapanuli Regency, Indonesia. Glob Ecol Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
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Ehmann B, van Schaik CP, Ashbury AM, Mörchen J, Musdarlia H, Utami Atmoko S, van Noordwijk MA, Schuppli C. Immature wild orangutans acquire relevant ecological knowledge through sex-specific attentional biases during social learning. PLoS Biol 2021; 19:e3001173. [PMID: 34010339 PMCID: PMC8133475 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
As a part of growing up, immature orangutans must acquire vast repertoires of skills and knowledge, a process that takes several years of observational social learning and subsequent practice. Adult female and male orangutans show behavioral differences including sex-specific foraging patterns and male-biased dispersal. We investigated how these differing life trajectories affect social interest and emerging ecological knowledge in immatures. We analyzed 15 years of detailed observational data on social learning, associations, and diet repertoires of 50 immatures (16 females and 34 males), from 2 orangutan populations. Specific to the feeding context, we found sex differences in the development of social interest: Throughout the dependency period, immature females direct most of their social attention at their mothers, whereas immature males show an increasing attentional preference for individuals other than their mothers. When attending to non-mother individuals, males show a significant bias toward immigrant individuals and a trend for a bias toward adult males. In contrast, females preferentially attend to neighboring residents. Accordingly, by the end of the dependency period, immature females show a larger dietary overlap with their mothers than do immature males. These results suggest that immature orangutans show attentional biases through which they learn from individuals with the most relevant ecological knowledge. Diversifying their skills and knowledge likely helps males when they move to a new area. In sum, our findings underline the importance of fine-grained social inputs for the acquisition of ecological knowledge and skills in orangutans and likely in other apes as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatrice Ehmann
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | | | - Alison M. Ashbury
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Julia Mörchen
- Behavioral Ecology Research Group, Institute of Biology, Faculty of Life Science, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- Research Group Primate Behavioural Ecology, Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Helvi Musdarlia
- Department of Biology, Graduate School, Universitas Nasional, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Suci Utami Atmoko
- Faculty of Biology and Primate Research Center, Universitas Nasional, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | | | - Caroline Schuppli
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Leipzig Research Center for Early Child Development, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- Development and Evolution of Cognition Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
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Learning to Be an Orangutan-Implications of Life History for Orangutan Rehabilitation. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11030767. [PMID: 33802019 PMCID: PMC8001071 DOI: 10.3390/ani11030767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2021] [Revised: 02/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Like humans, great apes have extended childhoods during which they depend on maternal pedagogy. To help rescued orphans recover from maternal loss our rehabilitation programme is modelled on the natural infant development of orangutans. Orphaned apes cannot be released back into freedom before they have learned the skills necessary to survive alone. To prevent suffering after release we documented the development of survival skills during the rehabilitation process. Seven orangutan orphans aged 1.5–9 years were observed over 18 months in their forest school, immersed in a natural forest environment with human surrogate mothers and other orphans. Social interactions deviated from wild mother-reared immatures: Infant orphans spent more time playing with peers, rested less, and were far from their human surrogate mothers earlier and often than wild immatures are from their biological mothers. Around weaning age, 4- to 7-year-old orphans took up a typical orangutan life-style: they interacted less with human surrogate mothers and peers, stayed high in the trees and slept in nests in the forest. Their time budgets resembled those of wild adults. We conclude that it is not only ethical but also possible to assess survival competences of rehabilitant orphans before release and choose release candidates accordingly. Abstract Orangutans depend on social learning for the acquisition of survival skills. The development of skills is not usually assessed in rescued orphans’ pre-release. We collected data of seven orphans over an 18-months-period to monitor the progress of ontogenetic changes. The orphans, 1.5–9 years old, were immersed in a natural forest environment with human surrogate mothers and other orphans. Social interactions deviated significantly from those of wild mother-reared immatures. Infants spent more time playing socially with peers, at the expense of resting and solitary play. Infants were also more often and at an earlier age distant from their human surrogate mothers than wild immatures are from their biological mothers. We found important changes towards an orangutan-typical lifestyle in 4- to 7-year-old orphans, corresponding to the weaning age in maternally reared immatures. The older orphans spent less time interacting with human surrogate mothers or peers, started to use the canopy more than lower forest strata and began to sleep in nests in the forest. Their time budgets resembled those of wild adults. In conclusion, juvenile orphans can develop capacities that qualify them as candidates for release back into natural habitat when protected from humanising influences and immersed in a species-typical environment.
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Hayashi M, Kawakami F, Roslan R, Hapiszudin NM, Dharmalingam S. Behavioral studies and veterinary management of orangutans at Bukit Merah Orang Utan Island, Perak, Malaysia. Primates 2018; 59:135-144. [PMID: 29383576 PMCID: PMC5843681 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-018-0650-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2016] [Accepted: 01/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
The Bukit Merah Orang Utan Island (OUI) Foundation has been conducting behavioral and veterinary research on orangutans as an attempt at ex situ conservation. Since 2010, the Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University has been collaborating with OUI to promote environmental enrichment and infant rearing by biological mothers in addition to the continuous efforts of refining the veterinary management of the endangered species. In 2011, three Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus) were released on an island, called BJ Island, adjacent to OUI. This island is approximately 5.6 ha in size, and 635 trees belonging to 102 plant species were identified prior to their release. Behavioral monitoring of the released individuals has been conducted to evaluate their behavioral adaptation to the new environment. Two of the three released orangutans were born in the wild, whereas the youngest individual was born on OUI and expected to learn forest survival strategies from the two older individuals. One of the orangutans was pregnant at the time of release and subsequently gave birth to two male infants on BJ Island. The behavioral monitoring indicated that these orangutans traveled more and spent more time on trees following their release onto BJ Island. However, resting was longer for two females both on OUI and BJ Island when compared to other populations. The orangutans consumed some natural food resources on BJ Island. The release into a more naturalistic environment may help the orangutans to develop more naturalistic behavioral patterns that resemble their wild counterparts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Misato Hayashi
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, 41-2 Kanrin, Inuyama, Aichi, 484-8506, Japan.
| | - Fumito Kawakami
- Institute for Advanced Study, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Rosimah Roslan
- Bukit Merah Orang Utan Island Foundation, Semanggol, Perak, Malaysia
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Affiliation(s)
- Tetsuro Matsuzawa
- Institute for Advanced Study, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan. .,Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Japan. .,Japan Monkey Centre, Inuyama, Japan.
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