Preliminary assessment of methods used to demonstrate nut-cracking behavior to five captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).
Chimpanzees acquire nut-cracking skills by observation and trial and error. Studies of captive chimpanzees have shown the effectiveness of a skilled demonstrator. We examined the effectiveness of 3 live demonstration forms from which subjects could learn nut-cracking skills: a video of proficient conspecifics, human demonstration and the presence of a skilled conspecific performing the task. A male subject did not learn to crack open nuts after viewing a video of proficient conspecifics but quickly learned the skill following a demonstration by a human facilitator. Subsequently, 4 female chimpanzees were given the opportunity to learn the skill from the now proficient male, as well as from a video and human demonstration, but failed to do so.
Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL, USA. sross@lpzoo.org
S R
SR
Ross
M S
MS
Milstein
S E
SE
Calcutt
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EV
Lonsdorf
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D007100:Imitative Behavior; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D009754:Nuts; D002679:Pan troglodytes / Q000523:psychology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D012931:Social Environment; D053001:Tool Use Behavior