Title
Brief communication: New tool use by wild Sumatran orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus abelii)
Author(s)
Fox E.A., Bin'Muhammad I.
Published
2002
Publisher
American Journal of Physical Anthropology
Abstract
Two forms of tool use by wild Sumatran orangutans are reported from the Agusan Monitoring Station, a new research site in Indonesia. One form, a branch "hook" used in locomotion, has not been reported previously in wild orangutans. The second form, a leaf "pad" used to protect the hands and feet from thorns while feeding, shares similarities in form and function with a tool type used by orangutans at Ketambe, a nearby research site. Both instances of tool use occurred in areas of disturbance, and appear to be spontaneous inventions under novel conditions, although habitual use of the tool in other ecological contexts is plausible. A summary of the distribution of tool use types in wild orangutans is presented. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Keywords
animal experiment; Anthropoidea; article; ecology; feeding; Indonesia; instrument; locomotion; male; nonhuman; orang utan; protection; wild species; animal; animal behavior; feeding behavior; female; motor performance; physiology; wild animal; Animals; Animals, Wild; Behavior, Animal; Feeding Behavior; Female; Indonesia; Locomotion; Male; Motor Skills; Pongo pygmaeus
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PUB12555