The Learning Umbrella

The Ape and the Sushi Master by Franz de Waal

I grabbed this book from the library because of the funny title,  but it turned out to actually be a very good book.  The author is a primatologist, and the book explores the question of whether animals have culture.  Have you heard of the monkeys in Japan that wash their sweet potatoes in the salt water?  One monkey started this, to wash the sand and grit off.  Then her playmates started doing it, then her mom, then her mom’s siblings, etc.  The older males never picked up the habit.  A few generations later, this group of monkeys is still doing it. 

There are other interesting animal examples in the book, intermixed with interesting analysis of the history of behaviorist studies and biological studies.  Those old behaviorists were wacky scientists!  I love how the author just slams down on their old assumption that it didn’t matter what kind of animal they were working with, be in goats, rats, or people.  As if they will all behave the same in a maze, and as if a maze in the lab has anything to do with how they will act with other animals in the wild.

Very interesting and fun book.  We are not alone in having social transmission of culture!  Very interesting to think about.