title: Orangutan cultures and the evolution of material culture.
abstract: Geographic variation in some aspects of chimpanzee behavior has been interpreted as evidence for culture. Here we document similar geographic variation in orangutan behaviors. Moreover, as expected under a cultural interpretation, we find a correlation between geographic distance and cultural difference, a correlation between the abundance of opportunities for social learning and the size of the local cultural repertoire, and no effect of habitat on the content of culture. Hence, great-ape cultures exist, and may have done so for at least 14 million years.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Anthropology and Anatomy, Duke University, Post Office Box 90383, Durham, NC 27708, USA. vschaik@duke.edu
authors.forename: Carel P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: van Schaik
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ancrenaz
authors.forename: Gwendolyn
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Borgen
authors.forename: Birute
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Galdikas
authors.forename: Cheryl D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Knott
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Singleton
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Sri Suci
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Utami
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Merrill
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D001893:Borneo; D003468:Cultural Evolution; D003469:Culture; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D005843:Geography; D007214:Indonesia; D008297:Male; D011148:Pongo pygmaeus; D012919:Social Behavior