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Novel Object Exploration as a Potential Assay for Higher Order Repetitive Behaviors in Mice
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Wild and zoo-housed orangutans differ in how they explore objects.
Isabelle B Laumer1, Shubhangi Kansal2, Anais van Cauwenberghe3
1Development and Evolution of Cognition Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany. ilaumer@ab.mpg.de.
Scientific Reports
|April 30, 2025
Summary
Zoo orangutans exhibit more frequent and diverse exploratory object manipulations (EOM) than their wild counterparts. This suggests the zoo environment enhances orangutan exploratory behavior, potentially boosting cognitive flexibility.
Area of Science:
- Primatology
- Cognitive Ethology
- Evolutionary Psychology
Background:
- Exploratory object manipulations (EOM) are crucial for cognitive development in humans.
- Zoo-housed great apes are vital models for studying human cognitive evolution.
- The impact of zoo environments on orangutan EOM remains largely unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate differences in daily EOM between wild and zoo-housed Sumatran orangutans across their lifespan.
- To compare the diversity and repertoire of exploratory actions in both settings.
- To assess the influence of the zoo environment on orangutan exploratory potential.
Main Methods:
- Collected approximately 12,000 EOM events from 51 wild and zoo-housed Sumatran orangutans of all ages.
- Observed and categorized EOM behaviors, including object exploration and tool use.
- Compared EOM rates, diversity, repertoire, and multi-object exploration between wild and captive individuals.
Main Results:
- Zoo-housed orangutans displayed significantly higher EOM rates compared to wild orangutans.
- Exploratory actions were more diverse in zoos, with a larger repertoire observed.
- Zoo orangutans showed a greater probability of multi-object exploration, including tool use, irrespective of object availability.
Conclusions:
- The zoo environment significantly enhances EOM in Sumatran orangutans, exceeding their natural expression.
- Captive orangutans may possess a broader range of cognitive affordances due to increased exploratory experience.
- Captive-wild comparisons offer valuable insights into cognitive development and evolutionary potential.
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