Orangutans Are As Smart As An 8 Year Old Child
The orangutans have blown us away with their ability to make bait. Everyone knows that primates are among the most intelligent animals on earth, but thanks to the result of experiments like these, you will realize that they can be even more surprising.
Scientists have discovered a practice never seen in any species except ours. Orangutans proved to be superior to other primates through a study in which they brought out all their imagination and skill.
Result of the experiment with orangutans
In the study that was carried out at the University of Vienna and St. Andrews, it was observed that monkeys are able to use various baits to access places where their fingers do not reach.
In the first test it was seen how an orangutan was able to make a hook with a straight thread. The aim was to get a reward placed in a basket inside a tube, so he went out of his way to make a hook with his teeth while holding the thread.
In the second test a bent wire was used with which it was not possible to arrive at a reward placed in a horizontal tube. To achieve the goal, several orangutans were able in a few minutes to unfold the thread enough to easily reach the prize and be able to push it out of the tube, an action never seen before.
Surprising results
To evaluate the extent of these discoveries and to be able to compare the intelligence of these primates to that of humans, children of different ages were subjected to similar tests, with more than surprising results.
From the age of 5, a human being is able to create and use quite complex tools to achieve goals. Despite this, when the problem arose of retrieving a basket from the bottom of a pipe with the only help of a straight line, it turned out to be complicated.
Most children between the ages of 3 and 5 have failed, and few have the idea of bending the wire to make a hook. A high percentage of 7-year-olds have failed to achieve this, which gives us an idea of the intelligence level of orangutans for problem solving.
Until the children turned 8, there was no significant success rate. Children, regardless of their age, had the best results when they were first shown what can be done with a thread, even though the little ones did not succeed despite understanding the hook’s functions.
Isabelle Laumer, in charge of leading the experiment at the Leipzig Zoo in Germany, said this study showed that orangutans are more adept at using and creating tools than previously thought, and are able to overcome. 8-year-olds in inventing them.
Future of the species
This magnificent species is in serious danger of extinction. Of the Bornean Orangutan only 104,700 specimens remain, while of the Sumatran Orangutan the current population does not reach 14,600.
The disappearance of the tropical leafy woods where they live is reduced day by day due to the extraction of wood, minerals or to convert them into crops. Currently, only 50% of orangutans live in the wild.
On the other hand, the illegal orangutan market is affecting the population and, in addition to killing the mother, the cubs suffer from the travel conditions in which few survive to be sold as pets in various parts of the world.
Until much stricter measures are taken, the population will not stop shrinking and, as has already happened with many other species, an asset that cannot be replaced would be lost.
