Zoo-housed female chimpanzee adopts local female-specific tradition upon immigrating into a new group
Goldsborough, Zoë; Webb, Christine E.; De Waal, Frans B.M.; Van Leeuwen, Edwin J.C.
(2021) Behaviour, volume 158, issue 6, pp. 547 - 564
(Article)
Abstract
Wild female chimpanzees typically migrate to a neighbouring community at the onset of sexual maturity, a process that can be dangerous and unpredictable. To mitigate the risk of rejection in the new community, immigrants may employ several behavioural strategies. During the integration of two chimpanzee females at Royal Burgers' Zoo
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(Arnhem, The Netherlands) one of the immigrant females rapidly copied a local tradition - the crossed-arm walk - which has been present in the group for over 20 years. She copied the behaviour after meeting only one resident female, and showed the behaviour frequently throughout a 6-month observation period following the introduction. The other immigrant female never adopted the crossed-arm walk, highlighting the variation in behaviour by immigrants upon integration, as well as the potential associated consequences: in a separate observation period 2 years later, the female who copied the local tradition appeared more socially integrated than the other immigrant female.
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Keywords: Behavioural copying, Chimpanzees, Social integration, Social learning, Tradition, Animal Science and Zoology, Behavioral Neuroscience
ISSN: 0005-7959
Publisher: Brill
Note: Funding Information: We are grateful to Royal Burgers’ Zoo for allowing this study to take place and to the chimpanzee caretakers for their dedication to the animals and assistance throughout the observations. EJCvL is supported in the capacity of postdoctoral fellow by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO). CEW received a fellowship from the Living Links Center at Emory University which, together with Utrecht University, supported the research. We wish to thank Kayla Kolff for her assistance in collecting data for this study. Lastly, we wish to thank the chimpanzees, Erika, Fons, Gaby, Geisha, Ghineau, Giambo, Jimmie, Jing, Marlene, Moni, Moniek, Morami, Raimee, Roosje, Tesua and Tushi, without whom this research would not have been possible. Publisher Copyright: © THE AUTHORS, 2021.
(Peer reviewed)
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