Presenter: Daniel Goodkin-Gold
Mentors: Stephen Frost and Frances White, Anthropology
Poster: 24
Major: Anthropology
Tool use occurs in several non-human species. Within the genus Pan, chimpanzees (P. troglodytes) exhibit tool use in both the wild and captivity. Tool use in bonobos (P. pansiscus) has been documented in captivity and suggested to occur in the wild. Recent comparative studies of chimpanzees and gorillas propose that social tolerance may facilitate the acquisition of tool use behavior. We previously reported that captive bonobos use tools in smaller social groups than gorillas and chimpanzees, which suggests that the number of neighbors does not play an integral role in tool use acquisition in bonobos. Here we investigate sex and age differences in these small social groups. Data were collected between June and August 2011. Subjects were 16 bonobos housed at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, where an artificial termite mound was placed in their outdoor exhibit and baited daily. All occurrences of tool use at the mound and of the individuals present were videotaped and coded. Party size and composition were later determined for each fishing bout. Females fished in larger groups (avg.=1.8 individuals) than males (avg.=1.3 individuals) (n=9, F=4.38, p<0.05). While there was no difference between adult and subadult males, adult females fished in significantly larger groups than subadult females (n=5, F=26.03, p < 0.0001). These results support previous knowledge of bonobo sociality in that females are more socially cohesive and males tend to be more solitary.