Reliable long-term individual variation in wild chimpanzee technological efficiency

Abstract

Variation in the efficiency of extracting calorie-rich and nutrient-dense resources directly impacts energy expenditure and potentially has important repercussions for cultural transmission where social learning strategies are used. Assessing variation in efficiency is key to understanding the evolution of complex behavioural traits in primates. Here we examine evidence for individual-level differences beyond age- and sex-class in non-human primate extractive foraging efficiency. We used 25 years (1992–2017) of video of 21 chimpanzees aged ≥6 years in Bossou, Guinea, to longitudinally investigate individual-level differences in stone tool use efficiency. Data from 3,882 oil-palm nut-cracking bouts from >800 h of observation were collected. We found reliability in relative efficiency across four measures of nut-cracking efficiency, as well as a significant effect of age. Our findings highlight the importance of longitudinal data from long-term field sites when investigating underlying cognitive and behavioural diversity across individual lifespans and between populations.