Researching primate behaviours | Postdoc at UZH Evo Anthro & NCCR Evolving Language | Former Postdoc at MPI Animal Behavior & DPhil at Oxford Biology | Tools & Culture, Language Evo, Development & Senescence | He/They 🌈
Elliot Howard-Spink
We reviewed several decades of literature on peering, and devised an observation-based framework to identify if, when and what wild animals may learn from each other during peering.
Increasing studies are documenting a behaviour called peering: close range, sustained observation of social partners. Peering is often discussed in relation to observational social learning in wild primates. But how can we actually know if (and what) animals learn from each other during peering?
Whilst our review is primate focussed, our framework can likely translate across species - if you know where an animal is looking, this framework may apply!
Human childbirth is not uniquely difficult among mammals:
Birth complications are widespread across mammalian species, including in the wild
www.univie.ac.at/en/news/pres...
🦅 Re-Evaluating the Neanderthal Mind 🪶
What happens when we look past stone tools to the most delicate, ephemeral materials in the Pleistocene ecosystem? We find a Neanderthal world rich in color, symbolism, and personal ornamentation.
🚨We're hiring again, this time for a research assistant position 🚨
The position is to help with a project looking at learning and social behaviour in birds along an urban gradient
Position at
@ceec-research.bsky.social
📆28th June deadline
More info: shorturl.at/vBxiW
#ringing #fieldwork
💙New paper!💙
How is knowledge transmitted across generations in a foraging society?
With @danielredhead.bsky.social
we found: In BaYaka foragers, long-term skills pass in smaller, sparser networks, while short-term food info circulates broadly & reciprocally
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
New preprint in review! 🤩 "Identifying social learning through peering: predictions and recommendations". 👀 Led by Elisa Bandini alongside @revathe.bsky.social, myself, and Caroline Schuppli. See 🧵 and read it here: ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v...
Given our framework allows observational social learning through peering to be identified in situ, this will enhance the rigour with which observational data can be used to understand the dynamics and scopes of wild primate cultures.
Birth complications are widespread across mammalian species, including in the wild
Abstract. Cultural transmission across generations is key to cumulative cultural evolution. While several mechanisms—such as vertical, horizontal, and obli
