ORANGUTAN INTELLIGENCE

Scientist and conservationist Birute Mary Galdikas, founder of Orangutan Foundation International, told AP orangutans are among the most intelligent animals. Orangutans in the wild, where Galdikas has studied the apes for more than four decades, routinely use tools to scratch themselves, swat insects and create simple shelters. In captivity, Galdikas said orangutans have demonstrated remarkable creative-thinking skills, specifically in their ability to escape enclosures.
Orangutans in laboratory situations have learned sign language about as fast and effectively as their gorilla and chimpanzee counterparts. They were able to identify objects, answer questions and explain what they wanted to eat. When orangutans in the wild encounter humans for the first time they tend to drop branches on them, smack their lips loudly and make other vocalizations.
Orangutans and chimpanzees are the only two animals that pass the mark test, a measurement of being self aware. In this test an animal is anaesthetized and marked with an odorless dye above an eyebrow or ear. The animal passes if it touches the mark after being shown a mirror after it wakes up. Apes can recognize themselves in a mirror while monkeys think they are confronted with another monkey.
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Orangutan Mental Life
Orangutans show cognitive complexity and flexibility rivaling that of chimps and maintains cultural traditions in the wild. "Azy has a rich mental life," Rob Shumaker told National Geographic of his study subject and friend of 25 years. "Orangutans are on equal cognitive footing with African apes, or even surpass them on some tasks."
Jennifer Holland wrote in National Geographic: “Not only does Azy communicate his thoughts with abstract keyboard symbols, he also demonstrates a "theory of mind" (understanding another individual's perspective) and makes logical, thoughtful choices that show a mental flexibility some chimpanzees lack. In the wild, orangutans keep innovative cultural traditions: Some groups construct foraging tools for extracting insects from tree holes; others use leaves as rain hats or napkins, wad them up as pillows, or line their hands with them when climbing a spiky tree. And in rare instances orangutans will twist leaves into bundles and cradle them like dolls. [Source: National Geographic , March 2008]
Tool-Using Orangutans
Orangutans have been observed using sticks to pry nutritious seeds from prickly, difficult-to-eat “Neesia” fruits; using their fists to amplify sound; dipping leaves into holes with water and licking the leaves; using leaves as napkins; and employing sticks to poke out sections of termite nests. Orangutans sometimes use leaves like a glove to climb up trees with a horny bark, which they strip away to get the delicious sap underneath.
Orangutans have also been observed using leaves as cups to pick up water from a stream and raising it to their pursed lips. They use a similar method to extract honey from bee nests inside the holes of trees. David Attenborough wrote: “To collect ants or termites, they break off twigs, sometimes chewing the end to form a kind of brush. Then they use these tools to chip away at a nest. Young orangs who stay with their mothers for three or four years doubtless learn these techniques from her.”
On how an orangutan gets seeds from Nessia fruit, Attenborough wrote: “The Nessia tree does not rely on animals to distribute its seeds. The job is done by the waters that regulalrly flood into the forest. The seeds, accordingly, are not wrapped in sweet flesh to tempt animals to swallow the, but protected from those that might make a meal of them by a hard husk covered by stinging hairs. In most parts of Sumatra, orangs ignore Neesia fruit. But not in the northern forests. Here the orangs have discovered how to open hem. The technique is quite complicated. First the stinging hais that cover the husk have to be removed. To do that, an orang produces a special tool. A twig cleaned of its bark . Holding this in his teeth, it carefully cleans off the unpoleasant hairs. Then it opens the fruit by ramming a piece of wood into a crack and forcing the husk apart until it is possible to hook out the seeds with a finger. Doubtless it was one particularly innovative individual that devised the technique many years ago. But because here, thanks to the abundant food supply, adults sometimes feed together, the skill spread by imitation and these northern orangs have a culture that differs from that of any other group. So the comparative simplicity or orangutan behavior elsewhere may be connected to eh fact that the scarcity of food prevents them from living in groups.”
Tool use by wild orangutans is more limited than that reported for chimpanzees. Some scientists think is probably due more to the solitary nature of orangutans rather than a lack of intelligence. But those who have had contact with humans have show quite sophisticated to usage. Galdikas and Brindamour witnessed only two example of tools use that didn't seem to be acts of imitation. One orangutan on his first day of freedom tried to open a coconut with a stick. Another used a branch as a back scratcher. There is evidence that orangutans know how to use plants for medicinal purposes.
Different Tool and Behaviors by Different Orangutan Groups
According to Animal Diversity Web: Most studies have focused on the behavioral differences between the two regional populations of orangutans on Borneo and Sumatra. Most orangutan offspring learn all of their behaviors from their mother, including tool use. Interestingly, research has found that different populations of orangutan display different behaviors based off of their geographic region, an indication of a culture. Roof building of nests (to stop rain) was observed in Borneo, but not on Sumatra. There were other behaviors, like covering yourself in leaves to protect from the sun, that were observed in some of the populations on Borneo and Sumatra, but not all. [Source: Alexander Hey, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]
Orangutans on the island Sumatra have generally been observed using tools more than that of Borneo. These orangutans are known to use sticks to poke out insects from trees and leaves to hold fruits with spines, as well as many others. Bornean orangutans are generally more social, and thus in captivity, have learned a variety of behaviors from orangutans and humans that are obviously not their species or direct mother. They have been known to make paintings in captivity as well as learn sign language, or associate specific signs with specific human meanings. Rehabilitating orangutans in Tanjung National Park in Kalimantan were seen imitating human behavior like clothes washing, teeth brushing, hammering nails, and voluntarily riding in boats. /=\
Study Finds Orangutans Plan Trips and Map Out Routes
Seth Borenstein of Associated Press wrote: “It's the ape equivalent of Google Maps and Facebook. The night before a big trip, Arno the orangutan plots his journey and lets others know where he is going with a long, whooping call. What he and his orangutan buddies do in the forests of Sumatra tells scientists that advance trip planning and social networking aren't just human traits. [Source: Seth Borenstein, Associated Press, September 11, 2013 ]
“A new study of 15 wild male orangutans finds that they routinely plot out their next day treks and share their plans in long calls, so females can come by or track them, and competitive males can steer clear. The researchers closely followed the males as they traveled on 320 days during the 1990s. The results were published Wednesday in the journal PLoS One.
“Typically, an orangutan would turn and face in the direction of his route and let out a whoop, sometimes for as long as four minutes. Then he'd go to sleep and 12 hours later set on the heralded path, said study author Carel van Schaik, director of the Anthropological Institute at the University of Zurich. "This guy basically thinks ahead," van Schaik said. "They're continuously updating their Google Maps so to speak. Based on that, they're planning what to do next."
“The apes didn't just call once, but they keep at it, calling more than 1,100 times over the 320 days. "This shows they are very much like us in this respect," van Schaik said. "Our earliest hominid ancestor must have done the same thing." Scientists had seen such planning in zoos and controlled experiments, but this study provides solid evidence of travel planning in the wild, said Frans de Waal of Atlanta's Emory University, who was not part of the study.
“Van Schaik said he and colleagues happened upon the trip calls by accident nearly 20 years ago, first with the dominant male Arno, who they followed more than the other 14 males. They waited to publish the results because he thought few people would believe orangutans could do such planning. But in recent years, the lab and captivity studies have all shown such planning. Based on previous studies and monitoring, van Schaik figured the male lets the world know his plans so females can come to him or stay close. Some females may want to stay within earshot in case they are harassed by other males and need protection. Others can come to mate.”
Orangutans Use Mime to Communicate
Ian Sample wrote in The Guardian, “Orangutans use mime to help make themselves understood, according to video recordings of the apes in the wild. Footage of rehabilitated orangutans released into a Borneo forest show the apes mimicking actions such as cracking open termite mounds, washing themselves and using a leaf to clean a wounded foot. The study suggests they are capable of more complex communication than previously thought, and resort to mimes to elaborate on messages directed at other apes and their former keepers. [Source: Ian Sample, The Guardian, August 11, 2010]
The study, published in the Biology Letters journal, suggests miming is rare in wild orangutans, but is used when other forms of communication fail. In some recordings, orangutans used gestures to distract or mislead others. One animal indicated to researchers that it wanted a haircut, as a ruse to divert their attention while it stole something, according to the study. Another tried to use a stick to get termites from a nest, but feigned failure in a bid to attract help, the researchers claim.
Psychologist Anne Russon and Kristin Andrews, a philosopher at York University in Toronto, analysed 20 years of video footage of orangutans that had once been in captivity, but were released into the wild in Indonesian Borneo. They found 18 scenes in which orangutans appeared to be acting out simple mimes to convey information to other animals or people. Of these, 14 mimes were addressed to researchers working with the apes, while four were directed at other orangutans.
Andrews said: "Great apes' ability to engage in rudimentary narrative communication suggests to us that, like humans, they are able to make sense of their world by telling stories, and to relay their thoughts about the world to others."Previous studies have described a gorilla acting as though it was rolling a ball of clay between her hands, which was interpreted as meaning "clay". A language-trained orangutan was also observed blowing through its thumb and forefinger to express the word "balloon". The researchers write: "These orangutan and other great ape pantomime cases indicate that pantomime serves multiple purposes and supports important communicative complexities in living great apes. For great apes, like humans, pantomime is a medium, not a message."
Orangutans Use Ipads to Communicate
In May 2012, David Fischer of Associated Press wrote: “The 8-year-old twins love their iPad. They draw, play games and expand their vocabulary. Their family's teenagers also like the hand-held computer tablets, too, but the clan's elders show no interest. The orangutans at Miami's Jungle Island apparently are just like people when it comes to technology. The park is one of several zoos experimenting with computers and apes, letting its six orangutans use an iPad to communicate and as part of a mental stimulus program. Linda Jacobs, who oversees the program, hopes the devices will eventually help bridge the gap between humans and the endangered apes. [Source: David Fischer, Associated Press. May 9, 2012]
"Our young ones pick up on it. They understand it. It's like, 'Oh I get this,'" Jacobs said. "Our two older ones, they just are not interested. I think they just figure, 'I've gotten along just fine in this world without this communication-skill here and the iPad, and I don't need a computer.'" Jacobs said she began letting the orangutans use iPads last summer, based on the suggestion of someone who had used the devices with dolphins. The software was originally designed for humans with autism and the screen displays pictures of various objects. A trainer then names one of the objects, and the ape presses the corresponding button.
The devices have been a great addition to the enrichment programs Jungle Island already does with the orangutans, Jacobs said. Keepers have long used sign language to communicate with them. Using their hands, the orangutans can respond to simple questions, identify objects and express their wants or needs. The apes can also identify body parts, helping the trainers care for them and even give them shots. "We're able to really monitor their health on a daily basis," Jacobs said of the need for communication with the orangutans. "We can do daily checks. If somebody's not feeling well, we know it immediately."
While Jacobs and other trainers have developed strong relationships with the orangutans, the iPad and other touchscreen computers offer an opportunity for them to communicate with people not trained in their sign language. "It would just be such a wonderful bridge to have," Jacobs said. "So that other people could really appreciate them."
Orangutans are extremely intelligent but limited by their physical inability to talk, she said. "They are sort of trapped in those bodies," Jacobs said. "They have the intelligence that they need to communicate, but they don't have the right equipment, because they don't have voice boxes or vocal cords. So this gives them a way to let us know what they know, what they are capable of, what they would like to have."
Apps for Apes and Improving Ipad Screens for Orangutans
In May 2012, David Fischer of Associated Press wrote: “Other zoos and nature parks are doing similar work. Richard Zimmerman, executive director of Orangutan Outreach, said he's building an "Apps For Apes" program with old, donated iPads at facilities throughout North America, though Jungle Island isn't part of that group. Orangutan Outreach started working with the Milwaukee County Zoo and then expanded to zoos in Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Toronto, Houston and elsewhere. They're hoping to use a video-conferencing program to reconnect orangutans with friends and family members who have been transferred to other zoos, he said. [Source: David Fischer, Associated Press. May 9, 2012]
"We're putting together what we're calling primate playdates or red ape rendezvous, which is to say connecting the orangutans in different facilities," Zimmerman said. "We're looking at a larger picture." When it comes to orangutans, the iPad itself has limitations. First, the relatively small screen causes orangutans to hit the wrong buttons sometimes. Also, the touchscreen won't register if they try to use their fingernails. Most importantly, the devices are just too fragile to actually hand over to the apes — the trainers must hold them.
"If I gave them the iPad, I could just basically hand them $600 and say, 'Go have fun,'" Jacobs said. "So until we come up with a better screen or a better case, I'm going to hold onto the iPad." If Jacobs gets her way, a more secure interface might not be far off. The long-term plan is to set up a larger, orangutan-proof screen in the holding area, along with another screen outside for guests. They would ask the orangutans questions and the apes could respond. "It's really just a matter of getting the technology and equipment here," Jacobs said. "There's not a doubt in my mind that they could do it and would be marvelous at it, and I think the public would absolutely love it."
It's important to note that training the orangutans isn't done to entertain Jungle Island workers or guests. Because the animals are so intelligent, Jacobs said their minds must be kept active to prevent them from getting bored or depressed. The challenge is making the enrichment activities enjoyable. "They need a lot of stimulation," Jacobs said. "Training isn't mandatory, but they love it."
"Anything that Jungle Island can do to help their orangutans while away the day is to be commended," Galdikas said. "IPads seem to work for humans. It's not surprising that orangutans, who share 97 percent of their genetic material with humans, like them, too."
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Last updated December 2024