Neophobia and Learning Mechanisms: How Captive Orangutans Discover Medicinal Plants

Gustafsson, Erik; Krief, Sabrina; Jalme, Michel Saint

doi:10.1159/000326796

Cited by 10 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 48 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Therefore, our results provide support for the hypothesis that neophobia might decrease when individuals live in larger groups. These results are in line with findings in other taxa, including birds (Heinrich and Marzluff 1991 ; Stöwe et al 2006 ), primates (Visalberghi and Addessi 2000 ; Lonsdorf 2006 ; Tarnaud and Yamagiwa 2008 ; Gustafsson et al 2011 ; Masi et al 2012 ), cows (Costa et al 2014 ), dogs, and wolves (Moretti et al 2015 ). However, more studies are needed to confirm these results.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Neophobia in 10 ungulate species—a comparative approach

Schaffer

Caicoya

Colell

et al. 2021

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Neophobia (the fearful reaction to novel stimuli or situations) has a crucial effect on individual fitness and can vary within and across species. However, the factors predicting this variation are still unclear. In this study, we assessed whether individual characteristics (rank, social integration, sex) and species socio-ecological characteristics (dietary breadth, group size, domestication) predicted variation in neophobia. For this purpose, we conducted behavioral observations and experimental tests on 78 captive individuals belonging to 10 different ungulate species—an ideal taxon to study inter-specific variation in neophobia given their variety in socio-ecological characteristics. Individuals were tested in their social groups by providing them with familiar food, half of which had been positioned close to a novel object. We monitored the individual latency to approach and eat food and the proportion of time spent in its proximity. Using a phylogenetic approach and social network analyses, we showed that across ungulate species neophobia was higher in socially more integrated individuals, as compared to less integrated ones. In contrast, rank and sex did not predict inter-individual differences in neophobia. Moreover, species differed in their levels of neophobia, with Barbary sheep being on average less neophobic than all the other study species. As group size in Barbary sheep was larger than in all the other study species, these results support the hypothesis that larger group size predicts lower levels of neophobia, and confirm ungulates as a highly promising taxon to study animal behavior and cognition with a comparative perspective. Significance statement In several species, individuals may respond fearfully to novel stimuli, therefore reducing the risks they may face. However, it is yet unclear if certain individuals or species respond more fearfully to novelty. Here, we provided food to 78 individual ungulates with different characteristics (e.g., sex, rank, social integration, group size, domestication, dietary breadth) in different controlled conditions (e.g., when food was close to novel or to familiar objects). Across species, we found that socially integrated individuals responded more fearfully in all species. Moreover, being in larger groups decreased the probability of fearfully responding to novelty.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Neophobia in 10 ungulate species—a comparative approach

Schaffer

Caicoya

Colell

et al. 2021

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Les orangs-outans se situent en position intermédiaire (Gustafsson et al, 2011). Ces travaux en captivité ont leurs limites expérimentales pour des raisons éthiques ( Hoste, 2008).…”

Section: E X E M P L a I R E A U T E U Runclassified

Faune sauvage, biodiversité et santé, quels défis ?

Morand¹,

Moutou²,

Richomme³

2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Bonobo habituation in a forest–savanna mosaic habitat: influence of ape species, habitat type, and sociocultural context

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Habituation is the term used to describe acceptance by wild animals of a human observer as a neutral element in their environment. Among primates, the process takes from a few days for Galago spp. to several years for African apes. There are also intraspecies differences reflecting differences in habitat, home range, and ape-human relationship history. Here, we present the first study of the process of bonobo habituation in a fragmented habitat, a forest-savanna mosaic in the community-based conservation area led by the Congolese nongovernmental organization Mbou-Mon-Tour, Democratic Republic of the Congo. In this area, local people use the forest almost every day for traditional activities but avoid bonobos because of a traditional taboo. Because very few flight reactions were observed during habituation, we focused on quantitative parameters to assess the development of ape tolerance and of the tracking efficiency of observer teams. During the 18-month study period (May 2012-October 2013), 4043 h (319 days) were spent in the forest and bonobos were observed for a total of 405 h (196 contacts on 134 days). The average contact duration was stable over time (124 min), but the minimal distance during a contact decreased with habituation effort. Moreover, bonobo location and tracking efficiency, daily ratio of contact time to habituation effort, and the number of observations at ground level were positively correlated with habituation effort. Our observations suggest that bonobos become habituated relatively rapidly. These results are discussed in relation to the habitat type, ape species, and the local sociocultural context of villagers. The habituation process involves changes in ape behavior toward observers and also more complex interactions concerning the ecosystem, including the building of an efficient local team. Before starting a habituation process, knowledge of the human sociocultural context is essential to assess the balance between risks and benefits.

show abstract

Neophobia and Learning Mechanisms: How Captive Orangutans Discover Medicinal Plants

Cited by 10 publications

References 48 publications

Neophobia in 10 ungulate species—a comparative approach

Neophobia in 10 ungulate species—a comparative approach

Faune sauvage, biodiversité et santé, quels défis ?

Bonobo habituation in a forest–savanna mosaic habitat: influence of ape species, habitat type, and sociocultural context

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About