Draft:Orangutan intelligence

Orangutans are close relatives of humans. 97% of orangutan DNA is the same as human DNA, they can live up to 60 years and the weight and brain volume of orangutans is about the same as that of chimpanzees. But they are 2-4 times more distantly related to humans than chimpanzees. Despite this, many researchers of their intelligence believe that orangutans are even smarter than chimpanzees, and chimpanzees during evolution “lost” all their intelligence, but people retained it.^[1]

Self-awareness

Chantek (an orangutan that was tested for orangutan intelligence) demonstrates self-awareness, by looking at oneself in the mirror and using signs, one mentally plans or deceives. Like many other orangutans who have demonstrated problem-solving skills, Chantek displays a certain intuitive thinking and characteristics comparable to rational use in human engineering. His intellectual and linguistic abilities make some scientists, including Miles and Dawn Prince-Hughes, consider him to have a personality.

Language

In nature

Over the course of evolution, orangutans have developed a rich gestural vocabulary, which does not differ much from one group to another and can claim to be the "international language of communication" of these amazing creatures. This is the conclusion of British scientists from the University of St. Andrews

Smart orangutans can solve charades and understand the value of money. However, among primates they are known for their least developed vocal abilities, that is, their comparatively poor sound signals. But this does not prevent great apes from communicating intensively with each other.

To get into the details, scientists from Scotland spent nine months of observations in three European zoos. Biologists have identified 64 different gestures in orangutans (28 individuals were studied), and 40 of them were repeated quite often, so that their meaning can be accurately determined, understood in the same way by almost all experimental animals.

Researchers have compiled the first monkey dictionary. It includes gestures such as somersaulting, turning back, biting the air, pulling hair, and placing objects on the head. ("I want to play" is perhaps the most common expression in the orangutan language). And to show that you need to follow her, the monkey will hug its vis-à-vis and gently pull it to the side.

Scientists claim that the same gestures are used by orangutans, living in zoos and outside of Europe, where the bulk of the research took place, in particular, in the USA and, for example, in Singapore.

The most amazing thing is that some gestures are similar to human gestures. So, to give the “stop” signal, the orangutan presses lightly on the hand of the “interlocutor”, doing something wrong, in the opinion of the first monkey. Children who cannot speak often do the same thing. And this is a hint at the very ancient roots of human gestures and, more broadly, language. (And by the way, a human-like denial gesture was recently discovered in bonobos.)

Scientists say that monkeys repeat the gesture quite persistently, if their counterpart does not respond to it with a certain action, that is, those who clearly speak body language put a very specific meaning into their intended message. Combined with the high frequency of use, this suggests the formation of a kind of language.^[2]

In captivity

The orangutan Chantek knows several hundred sign signs and understands spoken English and American Sign Language. Born in Yerkes, Chantek was transferred to the university when he was nine months old to learn from Miles. He returned to Yerkes for a short time and then spent about a decade living under constant supervision in a specially adapted trailer on the UTC campus. Currently, his habitat is at Zoo Atlanta in the enclosure, which gives him a private and open space with plenty of trees to jump from branch to branch (brachiation) Miles was the project director and spent most of his undergraduate years studying anthropology at the university. In fact, Chantek was taught, trained, and cared for by his hired assistants and a group of student volunteers from UTC's anthropology department. Like children, Chantek prefers to use names rather than pronouns - even when speaking to a person. He even invents his own signs (for example, eye-drink for eye drops). He has developed the abilities of most human children and demonstrates objects simply as people do. Chantek uses adjectives to indicate attributes, such as "red bird", "white cheese", and he also generalizes in more interesting ways. For example, he uses the sign "Lyn" for all caregivers, but not for strangers.

Other studies

Money

At nine months old, Miles registered Chantek as a baby, raised him as much as possible as a human child on the campus of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Miles toilet trained Chantek and gave him tasks and paid for them money, which was used in the form of poker chips. Chantek was especially fond of buying car rides. As their supplies began to run low, Chantek instigated a local inflation. He broke the chips in half and tried to pass them off as whole. Then they gave him other money—metal washers. Chantek began collecting pieces of aluminum foil and rolling them into rings, simulating a real means of payment.

Use of tools in captivity

An orangutan that can take digital photos has become a hit on Facebook. Over 15,000 fans follow Nonja and her photos of daily life at the Tiergarten Zoo in Vienna, Austria. The zoo launched a special online photo album featuring her work, including images of Nonya's companions, her climbing rope and food. A 33-year-old orangutan uses a specially adapted Samsung ST 1000 digital camera, which rewards Nonya with raisins that fall out of the camera every time she takes a photo. The project was launched to give monkeys a way to entertain themselves in captivity.^[3]

Computer Games

Two Sumatran orangutans living at Zoo Atlanta, learned to play computer games. According to AP, four-year-old Bernas and his mother Madu operate the touchpad using their fingers and lips. The experiment is being conducted to study the cognitive abilities of primates.

The panel that orangutans use is built into the tree. Visitors can watch the game on a special screen. According to zoo employee Tara Stoinski, These observations will help people understand how smart and intelligent primates are.^[4]

Orangutan constructions

Orangutan nest in Sabah, Borneo.

Orangutans build day and night nests. They are carefully constructed, and young orangutans learn nest building from watching their parents build nests. In fact, nest structure is one of the leading reasons why young orangutans leave their mother for the first time. From the age of 1 year and 6 months, orangutans practice building nests and acquire knowledge of how to build nests as early as three years of age. ^[5] Night nests are built by following a sequence of steps. Initially, a suitable tree is found; orangutans are selective about sites, although many tree species are used. Then several branches are connected and tied at one point. After the foundation was built, the orangutan bends smaller, leafy branches onto the foundation, this serves a purpose and is called a "mattress". After this, the orangutans stand and weave the ends of the branches into the mattress. This increases the stability of the nest and forms the final act of nest building. Additionally, orangutans may add extra features such as "pillows," "blankets," "roofs," and "bunk beds" to their nest. ^[5] Orangutans can make a "cushion" by clumping together leafy branches with the leaves in the center and the shoots facing outward. They bite branches to dull the sharp ends. Pillows will be added to night nests, but are generally absent from day nests. The "blanket" consists of large leafy branches from which the orangutan covers itself after lying down. Orangutans can create a waterproof, false nest cover by weaving together loosely chosen branches. They may also make a "two-tiered nest" or "two-tiered bed", a few meters above the main nest. ^[5]

Orangutan tools

All the tools described below were used and built by orangutans without human intervention, since gorillas in apartments, laboratories and with the help of training, gorillas can use any tools, just like people.

Termite catching

Sumatran orangutans have been observed making and using tools.^[6] They tore off a tree branch, which is about 30 cm long, tore off the branches, rubbed one end, and then they dug into tree hollows with a stick to catch termites.^[7][8]

Fishing

The orangutans living in Kalimantan fished along the coast and caught catfish from small ponds for fresh food. Over the course of two years, anthropologist Anne Russon saw several animals on these forested islands to study on their own, to hunt catfish with sticks, so that panic prey would flop from the ponds and wait in the oranutan's hands.^[9] Although orangutans usually only catch, Russon observed pairs of monkeys catching catfish on several occasions.^[10] On the island of Kaya, Borneo, a male orangutan was observed using a pole apparently trying to spear or club fish. This man saw people fishing with spears. Although unsuccessful, he was later able to improvise using poles, to catch fish already trapped in the lines of local residents fishing. ^[11]

Honey collection

Sumatran orangutans used a stick to poke holes in the wall of a bee's nest, move it around, and collect honey.^[7]

Fruit and seed processing

Sumatran orangutans use sticks to acquire seeds from fruits in particular.^[12] When the fruit of the Neesia tree ripens, its hard, ribbed husk softens until it falls open. Inside there are seeds, very preferably orangutans, but they are surrounded by fiberglass, like hairs that are painful if present. A Neesia-eating orangutan will select a 12 cm stick, strip off the bark, and then carefully collect hair from it. Once the fruit is completely safe, the monkey will eat the seeds using a stick or his fingers. ^[7]

Sound Manipulation

Orangutans produce an alarm call known as a "kiss squeak" when they encounter a predator, such as a snake or a human. Sometimes, orangutans will strip leaves from a branch and hold them in front of their mouths when making a sound. It was found that it reduces the maximum frequency of the sound, i.e. makes it deeper, and, in addition, small orangutans use leaves more often. It has been suggested that they use the leaves to make themselves appear larger than they actually are, The first case of an animal using a sound manipulation tool. ^[13]

Culture

Orangutans in captivity can use objects for creative purposes.

In 2003, researchers from six different orangutan field sites, which used the same behavioral coding schemes to compare the behavior of animals from different populations.^[14] They found that different populations of orangutans behaved differently. Evidence that the differences were cultural: First, the degree of difference increases with distance, suggesting that cultural diffusion occurred, and second, the size of the orangutan cultural repertoire has increased in proportion to the number of social contacts currently occurring within the group. Social contact facilitates cultural transmission. ^[14]

Rescuing other animals

At a British zoo, an orangutan spotted a tiny drowning chick in a pool and managed to save it. First he held out a leaf to the chick for it to cling to. However, after hanging on the leaf for a second, the chick fell back into the water. At the last moment, the orangutan managed to fish the chick out of the pool using a leaf as a scoop. After this, the orangutan carried the chick to the center of the enclosure, sat it on the grass and began to gently stroke it. ^[15]

Whistle

Orangutan Bonnie from the National Zoo in Washington has learned to whistle.

Bonnie was never taught to whistle. The 32-year-old monkey began making the sound on its own, imitating zookeepers, who sometimes whistle while they work. Bonnie then taught her fellow orangutan Indu to whistle.

Until now, researchers have never heard any orangutan whistle. Zookeeper Erin Stromberg believes Bonnie's achievements will influence theories about speech development in apes. It was previously believed that orangutans could not control the sounds they made.^[16]

Escapes

On the day of Ken Allen's death in 2000, the San Diego Union-Tribune published an obituary that read: "The beloved 29-year-old primate was a true escape genius." Ken Allen was far from being a simple ape. Born in 1971, Ken started running away as soon as he was nine years old. Zoo staff themselves said that Ken didn't seem to be at all upset by being returned to the zoo time and time again. On the contrary, he saw it as a challenge and enjoyed searching for new options for salvation. The "hairy Houdini" had his own fan club, and his portraits were featured on T-shirts and stickers.

During his escapes, first on June 13, 1985, again on July 29, 1985, and on August 13, 1985, Ken Allen walked peacefully around the zoo, looking at other animals, he never ran or behaved aggressively towards zookeepers or other animals. Zookeepers were initially baffled by how Ken managed to escape. They started surveillance on him to try to catch him in the act, just to find out how he was escaping, but Ken Allen seemed to know that he was being followed for precisely this purpose. This forced zookeepers to resort to trickery, posing as tourists to learn Ken Allen's escape route, but Ken Allen was not fooled. Moreover, the other orangutans made Ken Allen their leader and began to escape from the enclosure. The zoo director eventually hired experienced specialists to find each orangutan, at a cost of $40,000.

Ken's ability to outwit zookeepers, as well as his docile behavior during his escapes, led to his fame. He had his own fan club and was the subject of T-shirt and bumper sticker illustrations. A song, "The Ballad of Ken Allen," was written about him.

Ken Allen was diagnosed with cancer and euthanized in December 2000. He was 29 years old. ^[17]

See also

• Oldovan culture
• Animal rights
• Great Ape Project
• Chimpanzee intelligence
• Gorilla intelligence
• Bornean orangutan
• Sumatran orangutan

references

1. "ДНК орангутанов".
2. "язык орангутанов".
3. "орангутанг делает фотографии".
4. "орангутанги играют в компьютер".
5. Didik, Prasetyo; Ancrenaz, Marc; Morrogh-Bernard, Helen C.; Atmoko, S. Suci Utami; Wich, Serge A.; van Schaik, Carel P. (2009). "Nest building in orangutans". In Wich, Serge A.; Atmoko, S. Suci Utami; Setia, Tatang Mitra (eds.). Orangutans: geographic variation in behavioral ecology and conservation. Oxford University Press. pp. 270–275. ISBN 978-0-19-921327-6. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
6. Julian Oliver Caldecott; Lera Miles, eds. (2005). World Atlas of Great Apes and Their Conservation. University of California Press. p. 189. ISBN 9780520246331.
7. "Sumatran orangutans". OrangutanIslands.com. Retrieved August 2, 2013.
8. van Schaik, C., Fox, E. and Sitompul, A., (1996). Manufacture and use of tools in wild Sumatran orangutans. Naturwissenschaften, 83: 186–188
9. Bower, Bruce (May 7, 2011). "Borneo Orangs Fish for Their Dinner: Behavior Suggests Early Human Ancestors Were Piscivores". Science News. 179 (10): 16.
10. Bower, B. (2011). "Orangutans use simple tools to catch fish". Retrieved August 5, 2013.
11. "Orangutan attempts to hunt fish with spear". MailOnline. 2008. Retrieved Aug 1, 2013.
12. John C. Mitani; Josep Call; Peter M. Kappeler; Ryne A. Palombit; Joan B. Silk, eds. (2012). The Evolution of Primate Societies. University of Chicago Press. p. 685. ISBN 9780226531731.
13. Zielinski, S. (2009). "Orangutans use leaves to sound bigger". Retrieved August 5, 2013.
14. van Schaik, CP; Ancrenaz, M; Borgen, G; Galdikas, B; Knott, CD; Singleton, I; Suzuki, A; Utami, SS; Merrill, M.; et al. (2003). "Orangutan cultures and the evolution of material culture". Science. 299 (5603): 102–105. doi:10.1126/science.1078004. PMID 12511649.
15. "орангутанг спас птичку".
16. "орангутанги научилась свистеть".
17. "побеги из зоопарков".

category:animal cognition