Star-struck chimps look up to their heroes too (but probably not Cheryl and Becks)

Published on Friday 25 June 2010 00:09

HUMANS are not alone in their obsession with celebrity – it seems chimps have their own versions of Cheryl Cole and David Beckham to admire.

• Chimpanzees copy the behaviour of the more 'prestigious' members of their group, a study has found

Research involving a Scottish university has shown chimpanzees look up to those they consider to be more prestigious in their group.

In this way, their behaviour echoes how young people admire celebrities such as pop stars, sportsmen and women and TV presenters, the study team said.

The researchers, from St Andrews University and Yerkes National Primate Research Centre in the US state of Georgia, found the apes copied the actions of those they thought to have high status within their group. Professor Andrew Whiten, from St Andrews, said: "Teenagers look to pop stars as social models, copying their clothing, mannerisms and speech.

"Adults are inspired by prominent members of their society, such as successful professionals.

"Our study shows that chimpanzees are similarly selective in their choice of trendsetters."

Earlier studies by Prof Whiten and an international team of primatologists showed chimp populations in Africa differed from one another in their use of tools, communication and foraging techniques. Some chimp populations, for example, use stones to crack nuts and others do not.

"Previous studies have focused on how chimpanzees learn these behaviours from one another through observation and imitation, but much less is known about how they decide whose behaviour to copy," Prof Whiten said. "Is the spread of chimpanzee behaviour influenced by 'prestigious' individuals, as it is in humans?"

In an attempt to answer this question, Prof Whiten, along with colleagues in Atlanta, Georgia, allowed chimpanzees to observe the successful foraging skills of either older, higher-ranking apes with good track records of solving puzzles, or lower-ranking ones with no such experience.

One of the high-ranking female apes used in the study was Georgia, who, the researchers said, had a long history of introducing new behaviours.

The other high-status chimp was Ericka, a matriarch who manages her group with a delicate touch, grooming nearly every individual frequently.

Prof Whiten said: "We gave the higher and lower status females foraging puzzles to solve, and when the observing chimpanzees were later given their turn, they overwhelmingly aped Georgia and Ericka, the high-status individuals within the group."

The researchers, writing in Public Library of Science ONE, concluded that the popularity of Georgia and Ericka as role models reflected their high-prestige positions in the group.

Jo Richardson, head keeper of the Budongo Trail chimps enclosure at Edinburgh Zoo, said: "We already know younger chimps learn from older members of the group, and that's how culture and behaviour is passed on.

"So the findings of this research again emphasises the importance of status within chimp groups."