Skip to main content

Communication, Culture and Conservation in Orangutans

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
  • 1916 Accesses

Part of the book series: Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects ((DIPR))

Abstract

Several fragmented tropical forests within Southeast Asia, namely on northern Sumatra and across Borneo, are home to remnant and declining populations of wild orangutans (Pongo spp), the only extant nonhuman great ape found in Asia. These populations and other sympatric fauna are increasingly threatened by the alteration and destruction of their habitats. The latest available assessments from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recognize Bornean orangutans as an endangered species, whereas their Sumatran counterparts, found at precipitously falling population numbers (Wich et al. 2003; Singleton et al. 2004; Wich et al., 2008b), are identified as critically endangered (IUCN 2008). While the value of preserving species such as orangutans has previously been touted as serving important biological functions, particularly from a community ecology perspective, a more recent emphasis has been on strengthening ties between the goals of biological conservation and socioeconomic development among the impoverished communities that are most likely to face direct human-wildlife conflicts related to local land use practices.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   219.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   279.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   279.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  • Andersson M (1994) Sexual selection. Princeton University, Princeton

    Google Scholar 

  • Baker MC (1975) Song dialects and genetic differences in white-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys). Evolution 29:226–241

    Google Scholar 

  • Bernal X, Guarnizo C, Lüddecke H (2005) Geographic variation in advertisement call and genetic structure of Colostethus palmatus (Anura, Dendrobatidae) from the Colombian Andes. Herpetologica 61:395–408

    Google Scholar 

  • Bradbury J, Vehrencamp S (1998) Principles of animal communication. Sinauer Associates, Inc., Sunderland, MA

    Google Scholar 

  • Brereton AR (1995) Coercion-defence hypothesis: the evolution of primate sociality. Folia Primatol 64:207–214

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown CH, Gomez R, Waser PM (1995) Old world monkey vocalizations: adaptation to the local habitat? Anim Behav 50:945–961

    Google Scholar 

  • Butynski TM, Chapman CA, Chapman LJ, Weary DM (1992) Use of blue monkey “pyow” calls for long-term individual identification. Am J Primatol 28:183–189

    Google Scholar 

  • Chapman CA, Weary DM (1990) Variability in spider monkeys’ vocalizations may provide basis for individual recognition. Am J Primatol 22:279–284

    Google Scholar 

  • Cheney D, Seyfarth R (1982) Recognition of individuals within and between groups of free ranging vervet monkeys. Am Zool 22:519–529

    Google Scholar 

  • Clutton-Brock TH, Albon SD (1979) The roaring of red deer and the evolution of honest advertisement. Behaviour 69:145–169

    Google Scholar 

  • Crockford C, Herbinger I, Vigilant L, Boesch C (2004) Wild chimpanzees produce group-specific calls: a case for vocal learning. Ethology 110:221–243

    Google Scholar 

  • Davies NB, Halliday TR (1978) Deep croaks and fighting assessment in toads Bufo bufo. Nature 274:683–685

    Google Scholar 

  • Delgado RA. (2003). The function of adult male long calls in wild orangutans. Ph.D. Thesis. Duke University, Durham NC

    Google Scholar 

  • Delgado RA (2006) Sexual selection in the loud calls of male primates: Signal content and function. Int J Primatol 27(1):5–25

    Google Scholar 

  • Delgado RA (2007) Geographic variation in the long calls of male orangutans (Pongo spp.). Ethology 113:487–498

    Google Scholar 

  • Delgado RA, van Schaik CP (2000) The behavioral ecology and conservation of the orangutan: a tale of two islands. Evol Anthropol 9(5):201–218

    Google Scholar 

  • Delgado RA, Lameira A, Davila Ross M, Husson S, Morrogh-Bernard H, Davila Ross M, Wich SA (2009) Geographical variation in orangutan long calls. In: Wich SA, Utami Atmoko SS, Mitra Setia T, van Schaik CP (eds) Orangutans: geographic variation in behavioral ecology and conservation. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Doutrelant C, Leitao A, Giorgi M, Lambrechts M (1999) Geographical variation in blue tit song, the result of an adjustment to vegetation type? Behaviour 136:481–493

    Google Scholar 

  • Elowson AM, Snowdon CT (1994) Pygmy marmosets, Cebuella pygmaea, modify vocal structure in response to changed social environment. Anim Behav 47:1267–1277

    Google Scholar 

  • Fischer J, Hammerschmidt K, Todt D (1998) Local variation in Barbary macaque shrill barks. Anim Behav 56:623–629

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fischer J, Hammerschmidt K, Cheney DL, Seyfarth RM (2002) Acoustic features of male baboon loud calls: influences of context, age and individuality. J Acoust Soc Am 111:1465–1474

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fitch WT (1997) Vocal tract length and formant frequency dispersion correlate with body size in rhesus macaques. J Acoust Soc Am 102(2):1213–1222

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fitch WT, Hauser MD (1995) Vocal production in nonhuman primates: acoustics, physiology, and functional constraints on “honest” advertisement. Am J Primatol 37:191–219

    Google Scholar 

  • Fox EA (1998) The function of female mate choice in the Sumatran Orang-utan, (Pongo pygmaeus abelii). Duke Univesity, Durham, NC

    Google Scholar 

  • Fox EA (2002) Female tactics to reduce sexual harassment in the Sumatran orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus abelii). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 52:93–101

    Google Scholar 

  • Galdikas BMF (1983) The orangutan long call and snag crashing at Tanjung Puting reserve. Primates 24:371–384

    Google Scholar 

  • Galdikas BMF (1984) Adult female sociality among wild orangutans at Tanjung Puting Reserve. In: Small MF (ed) Female Primates: Studies by Women Primatologists. Alan R. Liss, New York, pp 217–235

    Google Scholar 

  • Galdikas BMF (1985a) Adult male sociality and reproductive tactics among orangutans at Tanjung Puting. Folia Primatol 45:9–24

    Google Scholar 

  • Galdikas BMF (1985b) Subadult male orangutan sociality and reproductive behavior at Tanjung Puting. Am J Primatol 8:87–99

    Google Scholar 

  • Galdikas BMF (1985c) Orangutan sociality at Tanjung Puting. Am J Primatol 9:101–119

    Google Scholar 

  • Galdikas BMF, Insley SJ (1988) The fast call of the adult male orangutan. J Mammal 69:371–375

    Google Scholar 

  • Galdikas BMF (1995) Social and reproductive behavior of wild adolescent female orangutans. In Nadler RD, Galdikas BMF, Sheeran LK, Rosen N (eds.) The Neglected Ape, pp 163–182. New York: Plenum Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Gish SL, Morton ES (1981) Structural adaptations to local habitat acoustics in Carolina wren songs. Zeitschrift fuer Tierpsychologie 56:74–84

    Google Scholar 

  • Gouzoules H, Gouzoules S (2002) Primate communication: by nature honest, or by experience wise? Int J Primatol 23:821–848

    Google Scholar 

  • Hafen T, Neveu H, Rumpler Y, Wilden I, Zimmermann E (1998) Acoustically dimorphic advertisement calls separate morphologically and genetically homogeneous populations of the grey mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus). Folia Primatol 69:342–356

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Harcourt AH, Stewart KJ, Hauser M (1993) Functions of wild gorilla ‘close’ calls I Repertoire, context, and Interspecific comparison. Behaviour 124(1–2):89–122

    Google Scholar 

  • Hardus ME, Lameira AR, Singleton I, Morrogh-Bernard H, Knott CD, Ancrenaz M, Utami Atmoko SS, Wich SA (2009) A description of the orangutan vocal and sound repertoire: with a focus on geographical variation. In: Wich SA, Utami Atmoko SS, Mitra Setia T, van Schaik CP (eds) Orangutans: geographic variation in behavioral ecology and conservation. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Harrison ME (2009) Orang-utan feeding behaviour in Sabangau, Central Kalimantan. Ph.D. Thesis. University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • Harrison ME, Chivers DJ (2007) The orang-utan mating system and the unflanged male: a product of declining food availability during the late Miocene and Pliocene? J Hum Evol 52:275–293

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hauser MD (1993) Rhesus monkey copulation calls: honest signals for female choice? Proc Roy Soc Lond B 254:93–96

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hohmann G, Vogl L (1991) Loud calls of male Nilgiri langurs (Presbytis johnii): age, individual, and population-specific differences. Int J Primatol 12:503–524

    Google Scholar 

  • Horr DA (1975) The Borneo orang-utan: population structure and dynamics in relationship to ecology and reproductive strategy. In: Rosenbaum LA (ed) Primate behavior. Academic Press, New York, pp 307–323

    Google Scholar 

  • Hunter M, Krebs J (1979) Geographic variation in the song of the great tit in relation to ecological factors. J Anim Ecol 48:759–785

    Google Scholar 

  • IUCN (2008) 2008 IUCN red list of threatened species. www.iucnredlist.org

  • Johnson AE, Knott CD, Pamungkas B, Pasaribu M, Marshall AJ (2005) A survey of the orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) population in and around Gunung Palung National Park, West Kalimantan, Indonesia based on nest counts. Biol Conserv 121:495–507

    Google Scholar 

  • Knott C, Beaudrot L, Snaith T, White S, Tschauner, Planasky G (2008) Female-female competition in Bornean orangutans. Int J Primatol 29:975–997

    Google Scholar 

  • MacKinnon J (1974) The behaviour and ecology of wild orang-utans (Pongo pygmaeus). Anim Behav 22:3–74

    Google Scholar 

  • Maeda T, Masataka N (1987) Locale-specific vocal behavior of the tamarin (Saguinus l. labiatus). Ethology 75:25–30

    Google Scholar 

  • Maestripieri D (1996) Primate cognition and the bared-teeth display: a reevaluation of the concept of formal dominance. J Comp Psychol 110:402–405

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Marler P (1975) On the origin of speech from animal sounds. In: Kavanaugh JF, Cutting JE (eds) The role of speech in language. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, pp 11–37

    Google Scholar 

  • Marler P (1976) Social organization, communication and graded signals: the chimpanzee and the gorilla. In: Bateson PPG, Hinde RA (eds) Growing points in ethology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 239–280

    Google Scholar 

  • Marler P, Hobbett L (1975) Individuality in a long-range vocalization of wild chimpanzees. Z. Tierpsychologie 38:97–109

    Google Scholar 

  • Marten K, Quine D, Marler P (1977) Sound transmission and its significance for animal vocalization. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2:291–302

    Google Scholar 

  • McComb K (1991) Female choice for high roaring rates in red deer, Cervus elaphus. Anim Behav 41:79–88

    Google Scholar 

  • McGrew WC (1992) Chimpanzee material culture. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • McGrew WC (2004) The cultured chimpanzee: reflections on cultural primatology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Merrill MY (2004) Orangutan Cultures? Tool use, social transmission and population differences. Ph.D. Thesis Duke University, Durham NC

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitani JC (1985a) Mating behaviour of male orangutans in the Kutai Game Reserve, Indonesia. Anim Behav 33:392–402

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitani JC (1985b) Sexual selection and adult male orangutan long calls. Anim Behav 33:272–283

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitani JC (1990) Experimental field studies of Asian ape social systems. Int J Primatol 11:103–126

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitani JC, Stuht J (1998) The evolution of nonhuman primate loud calls: acoustic adaptation for long-distance transmission. Primates 39:171–182

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitani JC, Grether GF, Rodman PS, Priatna D (1991) Association among wild orang-utans: sociality, passive aggregations or chance? Anim Behav 42:33–46

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitani J, Hunley K, Murdoch M (1999) Geographic variation in the calls of wild chimpanzees: a reassessment. Am J Primatol 47:133–151

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mitra Setia T, van Schaik CP (2007) The response of adult orang-utans toflanged male long calls: inferences about their function. Folia Primatol 78:215–226

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mitra Setia T, Delgado RA, Utami Atmoko SS, Singleton IS, van Schaik CP (2009) Social organization and male-female relationships. In: Wich SA, Utami Atmoko SS, Mitra Setia T, van Schaik CP (eds) Orangutans: geographic variation in behavioral ecology and conservation. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Peters S, Searcy WA, Beecher M, Nowicki S (2000) Geographic variation in the organization of song sparrow repertoires. The Auk 117:936–942

    Google Scholar 

  • Pfefferle D, Fischer J (2006) Sounds and size - identification of acoustic variables that reflect body size in Hamadryas baboons (Papio hamadryas). Anim Behav 72:43–51

    Google Scholar 

  • Range F, Fischer J (2004) Vocal repertoire of Sooty Mangabeys (Cercocebus torquatus atys) in the Taï National Park. Ethology 110:301–321

    Google Scholar 

  • Richards DG, Wiley RH (1980) Reverberations and amplitude fluctuations in the propagation of sound in a forest: Implications for animal communication. Am Nat 115:381–399

    Google Scholar 

  • Rijksen HD (1978) A field study of Sumatran orang utans (Pongo pygmaeus abelii Lesson 1827): ecology, behaviour and conservation. Ph.D. Thesis. Wageningen, University of Wageningen.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodman PS (1973) Population composition and adaptive organisation among orang-utans of the Kutai Reserve. In: Michael RP (ed) Comparative ecology and behaviour of primates. Academic Press, London, pp 171–209

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodman PS, Mitani JC (1987) Orangutans: sexual dimorphism in a solitary species. In: Smuts BB, Cheney DL, Seyfarth RM, Wrangham RW, Struhsaker TT (eds) Primate Societies. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, pp 146–154

    Google Scholar 

  • Rubenstein D, Hack M (1992) Horse signals: the sounds and scents of fury. Evol Ecol 6:254–260

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan M (1986) Factors influencing the evolution of acoustic communication: biological constraints. Brain Behav Evol 28:70–82

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ryan MJ, Brenowitz EA (1985) The role of body size, phylogeny, and ambient noise in the evolution of bird song. Am Nat 126:87–100

    Google Scholar 

  • Schürmann CL (1981) Courtship and mating behavior of wild orangutans in Sumatra. In: Chiarelli AB, Corruccini RS (eds) Primate behavior and sociobiology. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, pp 130–135

    Google Scholar 

  • Schürmann CL, van Hooff JARAM (1986) Reproductive strategies of the orang-utan: new data and a reconsideration of existing sociosexual models. Int J Primatol 7:265–287

    Google Scholar 

  • Singleton I, van Schaik CP (2001) Orangutan home range size and its determinants in a Sumatran swamp forest. Int J Primatol 22(6):877–911

    Google Scholar 

  • Singleton I, van Schaik CP (2002) The social organization of a population of Sumatran orang-utans. Folia Primatol 73:1–20

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Singleton I, Wich S, Husson S, Stephens S, Utami Atmoko S, Leighton M, Rosen N, Traylor-Holzer T, Lacy R, Byers O (2004) Orangutan population and habitat viability assessment: final report. IUCN/SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, Apple Valley, MN

    Google Scholar 

  • Singleton I, Knott CD, Morrogh-Bernard HC, Wich SA, van Schaik CP (2009) Ranging behavior of orangutan females and social organization. In: Wich SA, Utami Atmoko SS, Mitra Setia T, van Schaik CP (eds) Orangutans: geographic variation in behavioral ecology and conservation. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 205–212

    Google Scholar 

  • Snowdon CT, Elowson AM (1999) Pygmy marmosets modify call structure when paired. Ethology 105:893–908

    Google Scholar 

  • Steenbeek R, Assink P (1996) Individual differences in long-distance calls of male wild Thomas langurs. Folia Primatol 69:77–80

    Google Scholar 

  • Struhsaker TT (1969) Correlates of ecology and social organization among African cercopithecines. Folia Primatol 11:80–118

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sugardjito J, te Boekhorst IJA, van Hooff JARAM (1987) Ecological constraints on the grouping of wild orang-utans (Pongo pygmaeus) in the Gunung Leuser National Park, Sumatra, Indonesia. Int J Primatol 8:17–41

    Google Scholar 

  • te Boekhorst IJA, Schürmann CL, Sugardjito J (1990) Residential status and seasonal movements of wild orang-utans in the Gunung Leuser Reserve (Sumatera, Indonesia). Anim Behav 39:1098–1109

    Google Scholar 

  • Treves A (1998) Primate social systems: conspecific threat and coercion-defense hypothesis. Folia Primatol 69:81–88

    Google Scholar 

  • Utami SS (2000) Bimaturism in orang-utan males. Ph.D. Thesis. Utrecht University, The Netherlands

    Google Scholar 

  • Utami SS, Mitra Setia T (1995) Behavioral changes in wild male and female Sumatran orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) during and following a resident male take-over. In: Nadler RD, Galdikas BMF, Sheeran LK, Rosen N (eds) The Neglected Ape. Plenum Press, New York, pp 183–190

    Google Scholar 

  • Utami SS, Goosens B, Bruford MW, de Ruiter JR, van Hoof JARAM (2002) Male bimaturism and reproductive success in Sumatran orangutans. Behav Ecol 13(5):643–652

    Google Scholar 

  • van Schaik CP (1999) The socioecology of fission-fusion sociality in orangutans. Primates 40(1):69–87

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • van Schaik CP (2002) Fragility of traditions: the disturbance hypothesis for the loss of local traditions in orangutans. Int J Primatol 23(3):527–538

    Google Scholar 

  • van Schaik CP (2003) Local traditions in chimpanzees and orangutans: social learning and social tolerance. In: Fragaszy D, Perry S (eds) The biology of traditions: models and evidence. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 297–328

    Google Scholar 

  • van Schaik CP (2004) Among orangutans: red apes and the rise of human culture. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA

    Google Scholar 

  • van Schaik CP, Dunbar RIM (1990) The evolution of monogamy in large primates: a new hypothesis and some crucial tests. Behaviour 115(1–2):30–62

    Google Scholar 

  • van Schaik CP, Kappeler PM (1997) Infanticide risk and the evolution of male-female association in primates. Proc R Soc Lond B 264:1687–1694

    Google Scholar 

  • van Schaik CP, Knott CD (2001) Geographic variation in tool use on Neesia fruit in orangutans. Am J Phys Anthropol 114:331–342

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • van Schaik C, van Hooff JARAM (1996) Toward an understanding of the orangutan’s social system. In: McGrew WC, Marchant LF, Nishida T (eds) Great ape societies. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 3–15

    Google Scholar 

  • van Schaik CP, Deaner RO, Merrill MY (1999) The conditions for tool use in primates: implications for the evolution of material culture. J Hum Evol 36:719–741

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • van Schaik CP, Ancrenaz M, Borgen G, Galdikas B, Knott CD, Singleton I, Suzuki A, Utami SS, Merrill M (2003) Orangutan cultures and the evolution of material culture. Science 299:102–105

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Van’t Land J (1990) Who is calling there? The social context of adult male orang-utan long calls. Doctorandus, University of Utrecht, Utrecht

    Google Scholar 

  • Waser PM (1977) Individual recognition, intragroup cohesion and intergroup spacing: evidence from sound playback to forest monkeys. Behaviour 60:28–74

    Google Scholar 

  • Waser PM, Waser MS (1977) Experimental studies of primate vocalization: specializations for long-distance propagation. Z. Tierpsychologie 43:239–263

    Google Scholar 

  • Whiten A, Goodall J, McGrew WC, Nishida T, Reynolds V, Sugiyama Y, Tutin CEG, Wrangham RW, Boesch C (1999) Cultures in chimpanzees. Nature 399:682–685

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wich SA, Singleton I, Utami Atmoko SS, Geurts ML, Rijksen HD, van Schaik CP (2003) The status of the Sumatran orang-utan Pongo abelli: an update. Oryx 37(1):49–54

    Google Scholar 

  • Wich SA, Schel AM, de Vries H (2008a) Geographic variation in Thomas Langur (Presbytis thomasi) loud calls. Am J Primatol 70:566–574

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wich SA, Meijaard E, Marshall AJ, Husson S, Ancrenaz M, Lacy RC, van Schaik CP, Sugardjito J, Simorngkir T, Traylor-Holzer K, Doughty M, Supriatna J, Dennis R, Gumal G, Knott CD, Singleton I (2008b) Distribution and conservation status of the orangtuan (Pongo spp) on Borneo and Sumatra: how many remain? Oryx 42:329–339

    Google Scholar 

  • Wich SA, Swartz KB, Hardus ME, Lameira AR, Stromberg E, Shumaker RW (2009) A case of spontaneous acquisition of a human sound by an orangutan. Primates. doi:10.1007/s10329-008-0117-y

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wiley RH, Richards DG (1978) Physical constraints on acoustic communication: implications for the evolution of animal vocalizations. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 3:69–94

    Google Scholar 

  • Wrangham RW, McGrew WC, de Waal FB, Heltne P (1994) Chimpanzee Cultures. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts

    Google Scholar 

  • Wycherley J, Doran S, Beebee TJC (2002) Male advertisement call characters as phylogeogrpahical indicators in European water frogs. Biol J Linn Soc 77:355–365

    Google Scholar 

  • Zahavi A (1982) The pattern of vocal signals and the information they convey. Behaviour 80:1–8

    Google Scholar 

  • Zimmermann E, Lerch C (1993) The complex acoustic design of an advertisement call in male mouse lemurs and sources of its variation. Ethology 93:211–224

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Roberto A. Delgado .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Delgado, R.A. (2010). Communication, Culture and Conservation in Orangutans. In: Gursky, S., Supriatna, J. (eds) Indonesian Primates. Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1560-3_3

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics