Cultural differences in ant-dipping tool length between neighbouring chimpanzee communities at Kalinzu, Uganda.

ABSTRACT: Cultural variation has been identified in a growing number of animal species ranging from primates to cetaceans. The principal method used to establish the presence of culture in wild populations is the method of exclusion. This method is problematic, since it cannot rule out the influence of genetics and ecology in geographically distant populations. A new approach to the study of culture compares neighbouring groups belonging to the same population. We applied this new approach by comparing ant-dipping tool length between two neighbouring communities of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) in the Kalinzu Forest, Uganda. Ant-dipping tool length varies across chimpanzee study sites in relation to army ant species (Dorylus spp.) and dipping location (nest vs. trail). We compared the

SUBMITTER: Koops K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4510480 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature