Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Optimal Foraging00:48

Optimal Foraging

12.6K
How animals obtain and eat their food is called foraging behavior. Foraging can include searching for plants and hunting for prey and depends on the species and environment.
12.6K
Cognitive Learning01:21

Cognitive Learning

722
Cognitive learning is based on purposive behavior, incidental learning, and insight learning.
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
722

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

From "WILD" to "WILDER": A proposed extension to the "WILD" framework.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026
Same author

EVApeCognition: An 18-Year Dataset of Great Ape Cognition.

Scientific data·2026
Same author

Art beyond cognition: reframing Neanderthal art through social connectivity and cultural transmission.

Evolutionary human sciences·2025
Same author

A novel colonoscope with 230-degree extra-wide field-of-view optics: a prospective first-in-human pilot study.

Endoscopy·2025
Same author

Costs of Early Stone Toolmaking cannot Establish the Presence of Know-how Copying.

Human nature (Hawthorne, N.Y.)·2025
Same author

A novel colonoscope with a wider field of view of 230° - first in human case.

Endoscopy·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 25, 2025

Behavioral Assessment of Manual Dexterity in Non-Human Primates
16:00

Behavioral Assessment of Manual Dexterity in Non-Human Primates

Published on: November 11, 2011

22.6K

Naïve orangutans (Pongo abelii and Pongo pygmaeus) individually acquire nut-cracking using hammer tools.

Elisa Bandini1, Johannes Grossmann2, Martina Funk3

  • 1Department for Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, The University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.

American Journal of Primatology
|August 11, 2021
PubMed
Summary

Great apes like orangutans can learn complex nut-cracking behaviors independently. This study shows that orangutans, when provided with tools and nuts, can spontaneously develop nut-cracking skills through individual learning.

Keywords:
individual learningnut-crackingorangutansocial learningtool-use

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Marmoset Research - Scope and Challenges
04:52

Author Spotlight: Marmoset Research - Scope and Challenges

Published on: June 9, 2023

2.1K
Design and Use of an Apparatus for Presenting Graspable Objects in 3D Workspace
09:11

Design and Use of an Apparatus for Presenting Graspable Objects in 3D Workspace

Published on: August 8, 2019

5.8K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Oct 25, 2025

Behavioral Assessment of Manual Dexterity in Non-Human Primates
16:00

Behavioral Assessment of Manual Dexterity in Non-Human Primates

Published on: November 11, 2011

22.6K
Author Spotlight: Marmoset Research - Scope and Challenges
04:52

Author Spotlight: Marmoset Research - Scope and Challenges

Published on: June 9, 2023

2.1K
Design and Use of an Apparatus for Presenting Graspable Objects in 3D Workspace
09:11

Design and Use of an Apparatus for Presenting Graspable Objects in 3D Workspace

Published on: August 8, 2019

5.8K

Area of Science:

  • Primate behavior
  • Animal cognition
  • Tool use in animals

Background:

  • Nut-cracking is a complex tool-use behavior observed in few nonhuman animals, including chimpanzees, capuchins, and macaques.
  • The learning mechanisms and prevalence of nut-cracking in other primate species remain largely unknown.
  • Orangutans possess extensive tool-use repertoires and problem-solving skills, making them candidates for developing nut-cracking.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if orangutans develop nut-cracking behavior when provided with tools and suitable conditions.
  • To examine the learning mechanisms behind the emergence of nut-cracking in a naive orangutan sample.

Main Methods:

  • Four naive orangutans (Pongo abelii) at Leipzig Zoo were provided with nuts and wooden hammers without demonstration.
  • Data from eight orangutans (P. abelii and P. pygmaeus) at Zürich Zoo, tested similarly, were also included.
  • The study observed spontaneous nut-cracking behavior in the absence of direct instruction or imitation.

Main Results:

  • Out of twelve orangutans tested, at least four individuals spontaneously exhibited nut-cracking using wooden hammers.
  • One orangutan from Leipzig and three from Zürich demonstrated this behavior.
  • The results indicate that orangutans can develop nut-cracking skills through individual learning.

Conclusions:

  • Nut-cracking behavior can emerge in orangutans without direct teaching or observational learning of the specific technique.
  • Individual learning and potentially non-copying social learning mechanisms contribute to the development of this complex behavior in orangutans.
  • This finding expands our understanding of primate tool use and cognitive abilities.