We have always believed orangutans to be a solitary species, the most solitary of all the great apes (disclaimer: not monkeys as the headline suggests), with mothers typically raising their offspring for seven to ten years alone. However new research has found that this might not actually be the case – it seems as though young orangutans frequently engage in playdates.
Data shows that mothers with similarly aged offspring tend to spend more time in the same areas of forest than those whose offspring have a larger age gap, and these young play with each other when in the same area. Curiously, young orangutans of a similar age typically play together more than those with a larger age gap.
On days when offspring play together, mothers will sacrifice their own foraging by making much further trips than usual into the territories of other orangutan mothers, spending less time feeding in the process. They then return to their usual territory afterwards, suggesting that the meetups are not by chance, but are planned deliberately by the orangutan mothers to allow their offspring to play.
Play is essential for healthy brain and social development amongst most animals. This includes orangutans, despite their solitary nature. Zarin Machanda at Tufts University in Massachusetts theorises that “the assumption would be that orangutans require less play because they’re less social than the other apes, but orangutan males have to fight, so they have to practise that somewhere.” So perhaps mothers are making these sacrifices in order to allow their offspring to foster these important social skills, giving them the best possible future prospects.
This discovery is incredibly exciting, as it highlights the intricate social networks of orangutans, and changes our understanding of maternal investment, social development, and the origin of play in animal communities. It also goes to show that, throughout the animal kingdom, mothers make all kinds of sacrifices for the sake of their children.
Illustration by Clara MacDonald.
