Culture in the monkey world

Research on wild Vervet monkeys in South Africa shows that primates also know how to integrate and adapt to culture.

The study was conducted with four wild Vervet monkey groups, each consisting of at least 24 individuals, totaling 109 animals. The scientists gave the monkey group some corn, in which some dyed pink and some dyed blue.

Two groups of monkeys received bad green corn, so they just wanted to eat pink corn. While the other two groups of monkeys received pink corn, it was difficult to eat, so they only ate the green corn.

Monkey Vervet monkeys. ( Photo: Erica van de Waal / Livescience)

After about 6 months, the team replaced bad corn with normal corn, but these monkeys continued to eat corn of the color they were familiar with.

When a monkey has never eaten any corn that is allowed to eat with his mother, he only chooses the colored corn that his mother ate. Because the baby monkey is not experienced, it will imitate his mother's way of eating.

Scientists also study the habits of males. During mating season, males usually move to another area. When they migrate to a new group, if this group eats different types of corn than they normally eat; most males will begin to adapt and learn to eat corn in that new group.

Andrew Whiten, a biologist at the University of St. Andrews, England, said the male monkeys' action was surprising, because they abandoned their favorite old food to adapt to the popular type in the new group.

Another study showed that dolphins also learn culture from their peers."The way of learning and learning that we once thought of only in humans is found in other animals," Whiten said.