The development and maintenance of sex differences in dietary breadth and complexity in Bornean orangutans.

ABSTRACT:

Abstract

Orangutans show a pronounced sexual dimorphism, with flanged males (i.e., males with fully grown secondary sexual characteristics) reaching twice the size of adult females. Furthermore, adult orangutans show sex-specific dispersal and activity patterns. This study investigates sex differences in adult foraging behavior and sheds light on how these differences develop in immatures. We analyzed 11 years of feeding data on ten adult female, seven flanged male, and 14 immature Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) at Tuanan in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. We found that the diets of the adult females were significantly broader and required more processing steps before ingestion than the diets of flanged males. We also found evidence for a similar difference in ov

SUBMITTER: Schuppli C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8550522 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature