Publication
Title
Data from: Temporal stability of chimpanzee social culture
Author
Abstract
Culture is a hallmark of the human species, both in terms of the transmission of material inventions (e.g., tool manufacturing) and the adherence to social conventions (e.g., greeting mannerisms). While material culture has been reported across the animal kingdom, indications of social culture in animals are limited. Moreover, there is a paucity in evidencing cultural stability in animals. Here, based on a large dataset spanning 12 years, I show that chimpanzees adhere to arbitrary group-specific handclasp preferences that cannot be explained by genetics or the ecological environment. Despite substantial changes in group compositions across the study period, and all chimpanzees having several behavioral variants in their repertoires, chimpanzees showed and maintained the within-group homogeneity and between-group heterogeneity that is so characteristic of the cultural phenomenon in the human species. These findings indicate that human culture, including its arbitrary social conventions and long-term stability, is rooted in our evolutionary history.
Language
English
Related publication(s)
Publication
Dryad , 2021
DOI
10.5061/DRYAD.6WWPZGMXH
Volume/pages
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
Social climate and its impact on cooperation in bonobos and chimpanzees
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Record
Identifier
Creation 30.08.2021
Last edited 22.03.2023
To cite this reference