Wild and zoo-housed orangutans differ in how they explore objects.

ABSTRACT: In human infants, exploratory object manipulations (henceforth called "EOM") stimulate cognitive development and affect cognitive performance in later life. Zoo-housed great apes are frequently used to study the evolution of human cognition, however, it is unknown how the zoo environment affects their daily expression of EOM. We investigated how wild and zoo-housed Sumatran orangutans differ in their daily EOM throughout life. We collected ~ 12'000 EOM events by 51 wild and zoo-housed individuals of all ages. Zoo-housed orangutans showed significantly higher EOM rates than wild orangutans. Exploratory actions were more diverse in zoos than in the wild, even with objects available in both settings. Zoo-housed orangutans also showed a larger repertoire of exploratory actions and a higher pro

SUBMITTER: Laumer IB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12044031 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature