Primate behavior

1
Primate behavior

• Models for human evolution

2
Objectives

• Human characteristics and behaviors evolution?
• Discuss language and cultural behaviors of
  non-human primates

3
What makes us human?

• Habitual bipedal
• Permanent bisexual groups
• Large brain relative to body size
• Language usage/ culture
• Males and females obtain food
• Concealed ovulation

4
Hominid body size

• Small large body size
• Smaller primates higher BMR (basal metabolic
  rate) and need more calories than larger primates
• Exploit different areas to fulfill needs.
• Proportional relationship of brain to body size

5
Language

• Vervets monkeys
• Present/ closed system
• Humans
• Past, present, future/open system
• Use of symbols is arbitrary
• Think symbolically

6
Chimpanzees language

• Washoe (Gardener 1966)
• American sign language (ASL) 132 signs
• Taught signs to another chimpanzee
• Koko Michael (Patterson)
• Used ASL to communicate with one another

7
Chimpanzees language

• Sara (Premack)
• Symbolic thought
• Sherman Austin (Savage Rumbaugh)
• Representation of a symbol

8
Evolution of language

• Left hemisphere dominant for language
• Broca's and Wernicke's area
• Magnetic resonance imaging (Cantalupo and Hopkins
  2001)
• Broca's area more developed on the left than the
  right

9
Culture in primates?

• All non-genetic learned behavior
• Cultural tradition
• Japanese macaques - Imo potato washing
• Dietary habits and food preferences are learned
  behaviors

10
Tool use

• Termite fishing - chimpanzees
• Termite fishing sticks manufacturing indicates
  planning for future events.
• Leaf sponges
• Hammerstones to crack open nuts/fruits
• Weapons - white faced capuchin
• Used a stick to kill a snake

11
Criteria for cultural behavior (McGrew, 1992)

• Innovation
• Dissemination
• Standardization
• Durability
• Diffusion
• Tradition
• Non-subsistence
• Naturalness

12
Aggression

• Territory, mating partners and food
• Home range/core area
• Lethal aggression - only chimpanzees and humans
• Gombe village (1973 - 1977)
• Death of eight chimpanzees by conspecifics

13
Violent behaviors?

• Chimpanzees males are philopatric
• Manson and Wrangham (1991)
• Lethal behaviors attributed to the fact that
  males chimpanzees are philopatric.

14
Social bonds

• Affiliation
• Altruism
• Caring for others who are not genetically
  related
• Cooperation
• Alliances, coalitions in which all members
  benefit
• Cooperative hunting among Chimpanzees