| It is believed that Japanese
macaques have a high capacity for social learning. The most famous example
occurred in
1953, when scientists first observed an 18-month-old macaque that they
named Imo discover a new way to prepare food. She took a sweet potato to
a stream and washed it to remove the grit, which is hard on the macaques’ teeth.
Her playmates soon mimicked her actions and washed their sweet potatoes
as well. Within three months, Imo's mother and 2 other adult females were
washing their potatoes, and they soon taught the skill to their children.
The older males, however, who do not tend to forage with the females and
young, did not adopt potato washing. This difference indicates the importance
of social learning in Japanese macaques (Begley 2001; Flannery 2002). |
| Later, some macaques developed
other food preparation techniques and taught them to other troop members.
They began washing their sweet potatoes in salt water instead of fresh
water, presumably to enhance their flavor. In addition, in 1956, Imo learned
to separate wheat from the sandy soil where she found it. To accomplish
this task, she threw handfuls of the sand and wheat mixture into the water,
let the sand sink, and scooped the wheat off the top of the water. Most
of the macaques on this island learned this new skill as well (Begley 2001;
Flannery 2002). |