Life History: The Energy-Efficient Orangutan

SummaryA study of orangutans' daily energy expenditure confirmed exceptionally slow metabolism. It suggests they evolved a lifestyle designed to minimize energy use. If so, shifting to a higher energy-use strategy may help explain how humans evolved

Naturalistic Approaches to Orangutan Intelligence and the Question of Enculturation

Field studies have been, and continue to be, important contributors to theunderstanding of great ape cognition-especially with regard to questions of cognitiveecology or the key cognitive challenges in the evolution of primate intelligence. Theyare also critical to resolving a current debate, whether human enculturation boosts greatapes' cognition, because only studies of problem-solving in feral contexts can resolvethe question of whether abilities are higher in enculturated than non-enculturated greatapes. To this debate, this paper offers findings from observational field studies on freerangingrehabilitant orangutans' cognitive capabilities, as revealed in their foodprocessing and arboreal positioning, and on the possible social transmission of thatexpertise. These findings are combined with published findings on wild andenculturated great apes as a basis for assessing the effects of human enculturation ongreat ape cognition. This assessment joins several others in showing that free-ranginggreat apes independently achieve cognition of the same order of complexity asenculturated great apes, in concluding that claims for the effects of human enculturationare likely inflated, and in suggesting that the basis for the effectiveness of humanenculturation is that great apes normally "enculturate" themselves

Naturalistic Approaches to Orangutan Intelligence and the Question of Enculturation

Field studies have been, and continue to be, important contributors to theunderstanding of great ape cognition-especially with regard to questions of cognitiveecology or the key cognitive challenges in the evolution of primate intelligence. Theyare also critical to resolving a current debate, whether human enculturation boosts greatapes' cognition, because only studies of problem-solving in feral contexts can resolvethe question of whether abilities are higher in enculturated than non-enculturated greatapes. To this debate, this paper offers findings from observational field studies on freerangingrehabilitant orangutans' cognitive capabilities, as revealed in their foodprocessing and arboreal positioning, and on the possible social transmission of thatexpertise. These findings are combined with published findings on wild andenculturated great apes as a basis for assessing the effects of human enculturation ongreat ape cognition. This assessment joins several others in showing that free-ranginggreat apes independently achieve cognition of the same order of complexity asenculturated great apes, in concluding that claims for the effects of human enculturationare likely inflated, and in suggesting that the basis for the effectiveness of humanenculturation is that great apes normally "enculturate" themselves

Pantomime in great apes: Evidence and implications

We recently demonstrated, by mining observational data, that forest-living orangutans can communicate using gestures that qualify as pantomime.1 Pantomimes, like other iconic gestures, physically resemble their referents.2,3 More elaborately, pantomimes involve enacting their referents.4 Holding thumb and finger together at the lips and blowing between them to mean “balloon” is one example.5 Here we sketch evidence of pantomime in other great apes, methodological concerns and sophisticated cognitive capabilities that great ape pantomimes suggest