Skip to main content
WCS
Menu
Library
Library Catalog
eJournals & eBooks
WCS Research
Archives
Research Use
Finding Aids
Digital Collections
WCS History
WCS Research
Research Publications
Science Data
Services for WCS Researchers
Archives Shop
Bronx Zoo
Department of Tropical Research
Browse By Product
About Us
FAQs
Intern or Volunteer
Staff
Donate
Search WCS.org
Search
search
Popular Search Terms
WCS History
Library and Archives
Library and Archives Menu
Library
Archives
WCS Research
Archives Shop
About Us
Donate
en
fr
Title
Intra-and interpopulational differences in orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) activity and diet: Implications for the invention of tool use
Author(s)
Fox E.A., Van Schaik C.P., Sitompul A., Wright D.N.
Published
2004
Publisher
American Journal of Physical Anthropology
Published Version DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.10386
Abstract
Tool manufacture and use have been described for wild orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus), with appreciable interpopulational differences in tool complexes. The ecological factors that contribute to these differences require investigation. Significant interpopulational differences in diet suggest that ecological factors contribute to variation in tool-based insect foraging. Using 4 years of behavioral data from the Suaq Balimbing Research Station (Sumatra, Indonesia), we tested predictions of two ecological hypotheses for the invention of tool use for insect foraging. We found limited evidence for inter- and intrasexual differences, as well as temporal variation, in activity budget and diet. However, differences did not correspond to variation in either rate of tool use or specialization on tool-based insectivory. Compared to other populations, orangutans at Suaq Balimbing ate significantly more insects. Low temporal variation in insectivory and an abundance of social insects at Suaq Balimbing suggest that insects formed a staple in the diet rather than a fallback food. Our findings do not support the hypothesis that tool use is a response to the low availability of primary food sources. Rather, greater opportunities for invention likely contributed to insect-extraction tool use at Suaq Balimbing. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Keywords
Anthropoidea; article; comparative study; diet; evolutionary adaptation; female; foraging; insect; male; nonhuman; orang utan; population differentiation; Age Factors; Animals; Diet; Feeding Behavior; Fruit; Indonesia; Insects; Motor Activity; Motor Skills; Observation; Pongo pygmaeus; Sex Factors
Access Full Text
A full-text copy of this article may be available. Please email the
WCS Library
to request.
Back
PUB11119