Have you ever wondered if culture is a purely human thing? The simple answer is no. Researchers have found hunting, food preparation techniques and even fashions being shared among groups of animals. Let's take a look at...
1. Macaques That Clean SnacksOn the Japanese island of Koshima, a sophisticated troupe of macaques wash sweet potatoes and separate sand from wheat with water.
Both of these behaviors were pioneered by the same monkey, a juvenile named Imo. The macaques had been receiving gifts of sweet potatoes left on the sandy beach by a primatologist in 1953. Imo discovered that washing a potato in a brook would clean the sand from a tuber, making it a much nicer meal.
The primatologist first observed Imo, then her playmates, then her mother, then other members of the group and even macaques from other groups picked up the behavior. The only ones who didn't get in on the action were older males, who tended to stay separate from the group when eating. The behavior spread throughout the younger generation, and almost all of the macaques on Koshima wash their potatoes to this day. The technique has changed a little, though. The macaques discovered that using salt water would season as well as wash their meal!
Imo was an innovative little creature - she also discovered a way of separating wheat from sand. The primates learned to collect handfuls of the sandy grains and fling them into water - the grains floated while the sand sank. This is actually the same technique used by prospectors to separate gold flakes from soil during the gold rush.
2. Orcas With HatsKnown as killer whales, orcas are actually dolphins - and pretty intelligent ones at that. Intelligence is no guarantee of being sensible, however, and wild orcas have engaged in some strange fads. For example, in 1987 a group of the animals took to wearing dead salmon balanced on their heads, like jaunty dead-fish berets. The behavior spread throughout several pods, only to vanish as suddenly as it started.
Perhaps the most well-known orca fad is the attacks on boats from 2022 onwards. Groups of the mammals ram watercraft or bite at the rudder - the passengers themselves are left unharmed, implying this isn't an attempt at predation. Researchers speculate that the initial attacks were from an orca who was struck by a boat - and that the rest of her pod copied her behavior.
Other rats were unable to learn this technique in the lab - either by trial and error or by observing an experienced pine-nut-eating rat. In contrast, each generation of the forest-dwelling rodents seemed able to pick up the technique. Further research found that rat pups learn the skill from their mothers - both by being shown the cones are a food source and by being shown an effective place to start denuding the cone.
4. Lid-Flipping CockatoosIn New South Wales, Australia, no bin is safe. Each bin night, residents find lids flipped and rubbish rummaged. The culprit? Wild cockatoos.
Initially, only a few of the yellow-crested birds were seen attempting to open bins, but this would soon change. The birds watched what an opener was doing, then gave it a try themselves. Soon the behavior was spreading throughout Sydney, with sightings in three suburbs becoming sightings in forty-four within a year.
The technique used varies in different locations. Some populations of cockatoos use their beak to open the bins, others use their claws and yet others use a combination of the two. The most successful flippers are males (who tend to be larger and more dominant), but plenty of females have been caught trying their luck!
Years later, the surviving crows still take umbrage at the sight of the offending masks, scolding them or even dive-bombing wearers in an attempt to drive them off. It should be noted that many of the attacking birds are not the original victims; later generations and peers seem to have adopted the enmity. Similar behavior has been seen in magpies, a close relative of the crow.
It isn't just researchers either. Police in Everett (also in Washington) have found themselves on the wrong end of the crows, who felt that the precinct was getting too busy for their nearby nests and fledglings. Acadia University in Canada has a similar problem, with the corvids taking offence to students disturbing them - or even wearing shiny objects!
- Macaques that clean snacks
- Orcas with hats
- Rats that unpick pinecones
- Cockatoos that flip bin lids
- Grudge-holding crows
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| Some macaques have learned to wash food... (Matthew Fleming) |
1. Macaques That Clean SnacksOn the Japanese island of Koshima, a sophisticated troupe of macaques wash sweet potatoes and separate sand from wheat with water.
Both of these behaviors were pioneered by the same monkey, a juvenile named Imo. The macaques had been receiving gifts of sweet potatoes left on the sandy beach by a primatologist in 1953. Imo discovered that washing a potato in a brook would clean the sand from a tuber, making it a much nicer meal.
The primatologist first observed Imo, then her playmates, then her mother, then other members of the group and even macaques from other groups picked up the behavior. The only ones who didn't get in on the action were older males, who tended to stay separate from the group when eating. The behavior spread throughout the younger generation, and almost all of the macaques on Koshima wash their potatoes to this day. The technique has changed a little, though. The macaques discovered that using salt water would season as well as wash their meal!
Imo was an innovative little creature - she also discovered a way of separating wheat from sand. The primates learned to collect handfuls of the sandy grains and fling them into water - the grains floated while the sand sank. This is actually the same technique used by prospectors to separate gold flakes from soil during the gold rush.
 |
| Orcas seem to pick up fads... (Vidar Nordli-Mathisen) |
2. Orcas With HatsKnown as killer whales, orcas are actually dolphins - and pretty intelligent ones at that. Intelligence is no guarantee of being sensible, however, and wild orcas have engaged in some strange fads. For example, in 1987 a group of the animals took to wearing dead salmon balanced on their heads, like jaunty dead-fish berets. The behavior spread throughout several pods, only to vanish as suddenly as it started.
Perhaps the most well-known orca fad is the attacks on boats from 2022 onwards. Groups of the mammals ram watercraft or bite at the rudder - the passengers themselves are left unharmed, implying this isn't an attempt at predation. Researchers speculate that the initial attacks were from an orca who was struck by a boat - and that the rest of her pod copied her behavior.
3. Rodent Raiders of the Lost Pinecone
The pine forests of Israel play host to a fairly new inhabitant - black rats. This was an odd place for the rats to inhabit since the only food on offer is pine nuts, which are locked inside pinecones. Not ones to back down from a challenge, the rats making their home in these pine forests seem to have developed a method to open cones. They start at the base of the cone and work their way around in a spiral, unpicking the scales to access the nutritious nuts inside.Other rats were unable to learn this technique in the lab - either by trial and error or by observing an experienced pine-nut-eating rat. In contrast, each generation of the forest-dwelling rodents seemed able to pick up the technique. Further research found that rat pups learn the skill from their mothers - both by being shown the cones are a food source and by being shown an effective place to start denuding the cone.
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| Smarter than they look! (Oleksandr Sushko) |
4. Lid-Flipping CockatoosIn New South Wales, Australia, no bin is safe. Each bin night, residents find lids flipped and rubbish rummaged. The culprit? Wild cockatoos.
Initially, only a few of the yellow-crested birds were seen attempting to open bins, but this would soon change. The birds watched what an opener was doing, then gave it a try themselves. Soon the behavior was spreading throughout Sydney, with sightings in three suburbs becoming sightings in forty-four within a year.
The technique used varies in different locations. Some populations of cockatoos use their beak to open the bins, others use their claws and yet others use a combination of the two. The most successful flippers are males (who tend to be larger and more dominant), but plenty of females have been caught trying their luck!
5. Grudge-Holding Crows
Crows are fairly intelligent, and they certainly can hold a grudge - as researchers at the University of Washington found out at the cost to themselves. Years ago, masked scientists trapped and banded crows to monitor them - little did they know the feathery doom they had brought upon themselves.Years later, the surviving crows still take umbrage at the sight of the offending masks, scolding them or even dive-bombing wearers in an attempt to drive them off. It should be noted that many of the attacking birds are not the original victims; later generations and peers seem to have adopted the enmity. Similar behavior has been seen in magpies, a close relative of the crow.
It isn't just researchers either. Police in Everett (also in Washington) have found themselves on the wrong end of the crows, who felt that the precinct was getting too busy for their nearby nests and fledglings. Acadia University in Canada has a similar problem, with the corvids taking offence to students disturbing them - or even wearing shiny objects!
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