Field experiments find no evidence that chimpanzee nut cracking can be independently innovated
Kathelijne Koops (),
Aly Gaspard Soumah,
Kelly L. Leeuwen,
Henry Didier Camara and
Tetsuro Matsuzawa
Additional contact information
Kathelijne Koops: University of Zurich
Aly Gaspard Soumah: Institut de Recherche Environnementale de Bossou
Kelly L. Leeuwen: Utrecht University
Henry Didier Camara: Institut de Recherche Environnementale de Bossou
Tetsuro Matsuzawa: Chubu Gakuin University
Nature Human Behaviour, 2022, vol. 6, issue 4, 487-494
Abstract:
Abstract Cumulative culture has been claimed a hallmark of human evolution. Yet, the uniqueness of human culture is heavily debated. The zone of latent solutions hypothesis states that only humans have cultural forms that require form-copying social learning and are culture-dependent. Non-human ape cultural behaviours are considered ‘latent solutions’, which can be independently (re-)innovated. Others claim that chimpanzees, like humans, have cumulative culture. Here, we use field experiments at Seringbara (Nimba Mountains, Guinea) to test whether chimpanzee nut cracking can be individually (re-)innovated. We provided: (1) palm nuts and stones, (2) palm fruit bunch, (3) cracked palm nuts and (4) Coula nuts and stones. Chimpanzee parties visited (n = 35) and explored (n = 11) the experiments but no nut cracking occurred. In these experiments, chimpanzees did not individually (re-)innovate nut cracking under ecologically valid conditions. Our null results are consistent with the hypothesis that chimpanzee nut cracking is a product of social learning.
Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41562-021-01272-9
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