Question about Anthropology regarding Orangutans...PLEASE HELP!?!?!?

Question

Orangutans in certain habitats have shown advanced capabilities for culture. How does that change the picture of the evolution of culture in hominoids?

Please give me a detailed response. I doing a research/essay and your help will be tremendously appreciated.

Thank You!

Answer 1

One of the main things it demonstrates is that our intelligence is not because we were highly social creatures.  It should make the use of tools have less meaning when it comes to establishing human ancestors but that won't happen as long as human ancestors are more valuable as fossils.

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?article...

Answer 2

I took anthropology last semester, and I learned that orangutans are actually the only hominid that is solitary. Orangutans males have a home range that inter-laps with other orangutans, but it is not aggressive, and that is how they meet mates. The orangutans are really difficult to study because they are solitary. It has been difficult to study their social behavior because of this reason. I doubt they have shown to have culture. I think you are referring to the chimpanzees that is what I learned. Orangutans also get pretty sad in zoos because they cover really big areas and they are only found in one part of the world. They are among the hominids in extinction because they are hunted for they hands since people in this areas think their hands have healing capabilities. There is one bilogists that have been studing them, but I do not recall the name.

Answer 3

Orangutans are a very early primate, which branched off before the ape/human split in Africa, and became indigenous to SE Asia.

They also demonstrate the early potential for a red hair gene in hominids.

Answer 4

it does not. time and learning plus societal system contribute to this. aren't orangutans solitary? are you referring to their ability to learn?