Over a decade of data on wild orangutans were used to program an agent-based model of orangutan diet development. Adult-like diets were attainable only if simulated immature individuals learned from others, which indicates that orangutan diets are broader than what any individual could produce independently. Wild orangutan diets therefore represent culturally dependent knowledge repertoires that are produced by social learning.
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This is a summary of: Howard-Spink, E. et al. Culture is critical in driving orangutan diet development past individual potentials. Nat. Hum. Behav. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-025-02350-y (2025).
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Immature orangutans require cultural knowledge to develop mature diets. Nat Hum Behav (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-025-02368-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-025-02368-2
