Human societies developed food preferences based on what was available and what the group decided it liked most. Those preferences were then passed along as part of the set of socially learned behaviors, values, knowledge and customs that make up culture. Besides humans, many other social animals are believed to exhibit forms of culture in various ways, too.
In fact, according to a new study led by Harvard scientist Liran Samuni, bonobos (倭黑猩猩), one of our closest living relatives, could be the latest addition to the list.
The researchers studied the hunting and feeding habits of two neighboring groups of bonobos at the Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Analyzing the data, they saw many similarities in the lives of the two bonobo groups, given the names the Ekalakala and the Kokoalongo. They also both have the access and opportunity to hunt the same kind of prey (猎物). This, however, is precisely where researchers noticed a striking difference.
The groups consistently preferred to hunt and feast on two different types of prey. The Ekalakala group went after an anomalure that is capable of moving through the air from tree to tree. The Kokoalongo group, on the other hand, favored a duiker that lives on the forest floor.
“It’s basically like two human cultures exploiting a common resource in different ways,” says Samuni. “Think about two cultures living close to each other but having different preferences: One prefers chicken while the other is more of a beef-eating culture.”
Using statistical modeling, the scientists found this behavior happens independent of factors like the location of the hunts, their timing or the season. In fact, the researchers’ model found that the only variable that could reliably predict prey preference was whether the hunters were team Ekalakala or team Kokoalongo.
The researchers haven’t yet investigated how the bonobo groups learned this hunting preference, but through their analysis they were able to rule out ecological factors or genetic differences.
Basically, it means all evidence points toward this being a learned social behavior. “If our closest living relatives have some cultural traits (特征), then it’s likely our ancestors already had some capacity for culture,” Samuni says.
8. What do paragraphs 3 and 4 mainly talk about?
A.The findings of the study. | B.The process of the study. |
C.The background of the study. | D.The challenges of doing the study. |
9. How does Samuni perceive the two bonobo groups’ different hunting preferences?
A.They are an unusual phenomenon. | B.They are a learned social behavior. |
C.They contradict human cultures. | D.They show bonobos’ high intelligence. |
10. Which of the following could influence the bonobos’ prey preference?
A.The timing of hunting. | B.Their hunting techniques. |
C.The communities they belong to. | D.Their surrounding environment. |
11. What might the findings of the bonobos’ hunting preference indicate, according to the text?
A.When human society was born. | B.How human society developed. |
C.What helped human culture evolve. | D.How human culture first appeared. |