Among Orangutan: Red Apes and the Rise of Human Culture.

AMONG ORANGUTANS: Red Apes and the Rise of Human Culture CAREL VAN SCHAIK

The orangutan is a reclusive breed that lives only in parts of Indonesia. Its propensity for roaming high in the treetops and favoring for areas inhospitable to people makes the species difficult to study. Van Schaik and his team were fortunate, then, to have stumbled upon Suaq Balimbing--a swamp in the forests of Aceh, Sumatra's northernmost province. There they found an orangutan "heaven." The orangutan density was the highest that had ever been recorded, more than 10 individuals per square kilometer. For 6 years, the scientists studied the orangutans around the swamp. They found that this animal, largely considered to be a species of loners, is actually quite social in this setting. The team also found that these orangutans use a variety of tools and are surprisingly intelligent. In this way, the orangutans resemble Asian chimpanzees. Such findings led Van Schaik to wonder why the great apes didn't evolve and create humanlike cultures, communicate in symbols, have moral codes, and create art. He shares his discoveries of the orangutans of Suaq Balimbing and shows how these findings shed light on the origins of human intelligence, technology, and culture. HUP, 2004, 244 p., color photos/illus., hardcover, $29.95.