The #1 source for news about monkeys and apes

[Natasha Matza <nmmatza AT mac.com>]

> Study: Cultures Affect Captive Gorillas
> By ANDREW BRIDGES, Associated Press Writer  Sun Feb 19, 3:21 PM ET
>
> ST. LOUIS - Captive gorillas actually are a cultured bunch.
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>
> Genetics or environment alone cannot explain variations in the 
> behavior of different groups of the apes, a study found.
>
> Behavioral surveys of the roughly 370 gorillas in U.S. zoos showed 48 
> variations in how individual groups of the apes make signals, use 
> tools and seek comfort, said Tara Stoinski of Zoo Atlanta and the Dian 
> Fossey Gorilla Fund International.
>
> "What became very obvious is there is a very distinct pattern of 
> similarities and differences between groups," Stoinski said.
>
> That suggests the gorillas pass along the different traits socially, 
> not genetically, which is a hallmark of culture. Results were 
> presented Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Association for 
> the Advancement of Science.
>
> Researchers previously have found that other ape species — including 
> chimpanzees and orangutans — show cultural differences as well in how 
> they forage, use tools and court one another.
>
> "These animals are smart enough to observe behaviors and imitate 
> them," said Ingrid Porton, curator of primates at the Saint Louis Zoo.
>
> That gorillas do the same and perhaps aren't the "slightly dumb 
> cousins" of the ape family shouldn't be surprising, said Andrew 
> Whiten, a professor of evolutionary and developmental psychology at 
> the University of St. Andrews.
>
> "It is quite surprising only if you take that common notion that 
> gorillas aren't as smart as the rest," said Whiten, a chimp expert.
>
> Stoinski said the surveys found that even gorillas at the same zoo but 
> living in separate groups can display cultural differences. At Zoo 
> Atlanta, only some gorilla groups use sticks to push aside the 
> electrified wires that protect the trees in their enclosures, allowing 
> the apes to snack on the bark without getting shocked, she said.
>
> As for chimps, recent videos, described Sunday to reporters by Whiten, 
> show the apes in the Congo using a "tool kit" to collect and eat 
> termites.
>
> The chimps first use a large stick to tunnel a foot deep into termite 
> mounds. They then pull out the large stick and use a more slender 
> piece of vegetation that they've frayed to fish out the insects 
> through the shaft they've created, Whiten said.
>
> Such examples of learned behaviors, when passed down from generation 
> to generation, may have an influence on evolution, said Carel von 
> Schaik, an orangutan expert at the University of Zurich.
>
> "You can also argue that cultural species will become smarter 
> species," von Schaik said.

Natasha Matza
www.primatesanctuary.blogspot.com