Juvenile play behavior in cohabitating captive siamangs (Symphalangus syndactylus) and orangutans (Pongo abelii)

Abstract

This research looks at the social play habits of a juvenile orangutan and juvenile siamang housed together at the San Diego Zoo, hypothesizing that the juvenile apes would prefer heterospecific juveniles as play partners over conspecific adults in the absence of conspecific juveniles. Using the San Diego Ape Cam for ten hours of focal animal sampling, the activity budgets for the juveniles were assembled, with emphasis on the rates of social versus solo play. The study confirmed, in this specific context, that the apes preferred heterospecific juvenile play to conspecific play with adults.