Scientists Say Orangutan Nest Building Shows High Degree of Sophistication
Posted on April 17, 2012
Scientists at The University of Manchester spent a year observing and filming orangutans at a research facility in Indonesia. The researchers say orangutans may be smarter than previously thought based on the sophisticated way they build nests. The researchers say complex knowledge of mechanical design and material properties is involved in orangutan next construction.
Researchers, led by Dr Roland Ennos, and carried out by PhD student Adam van Casteren, discovered that the orangutans use particular branches for different parts of the nest. The orangutans also break branches in different ways depending on how they are to be used.
Dr. Ennos, based in the University of Manchester's Faculty of Life Sciences, says, "We found that the orangutans chose strong, rigid tree branches for the structural parts of the nests that supported their weight, and weaker, more flexible branches for the nest's linings, suggesting that the apes' choice of branch for different parts of the nests was dictated by the branches' diameter and rigidity. Further, branches chosen for the nests' structural framework were fractured differently from those chosen for the lining: whereas structural branches were broken halfway across, leaving them attached, branches used for lining were completely severed, suggesting that orangutans might use knowledge of the different ways in which branches break to build strong and comfortable nests."
Dr. Ennos also says, "We witnessed orangutans building safe comfortable nests by half-breaking and weaving thick branches and twisting smaller branches right off to make a sort mattress. They seem to have learnt about the mechanical properties of wood, and use this knowledge in a clever way."
Take a look:
Discovery has some photographs of orangutan nests here. Scientific American notes that other great apes make complex nest in trees as well.
The research article, "Nest Building Orangutans Demonstrate Engineering Know-How to Produce Safe, Comfortable Beds," by Adam van Casteren et al, was published here in PNAS.
Photo: Adam van Casteren et al.