Do animals have culture?
Abstract
Culture is probably not rare in animals, although hard experimental evidence is lacking. The strongest case for culture is found in the species most amenable to experimental manipulation, rather than in nonhuman primates. Human culture is much more likely to be cumulative than animal culture, but the reasons for this are not well established. At this point, there is no reason to assume that cumulative culture depends critically on teaching, imitation, language, or perspective‐taking. Currently, animals are being judged according to stricter criteria than humans.
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Cultural transmission exists in many species.
“The capacity for cultural transmission also exists in many species – more than one might imagine, as it is a relatively new topic in animal behavior research (Hill 2010; Laland & Galef 2009; Laland & Hoppitt 2003; Page & Ryan 2006).”
From Evolving the future: Toward a science of intentional change (2014) · cites this paper as Laland & Hoppitt 2003
Cites
Social intelligence, innovation, and enhanced brain size in primates
Reader, S. M., & Laland, K. N. (2002) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.062041299 · Cited by 1,126 · see citing works
Self-citationCoevolution: Genes, Culture, and Human Diversity
Durham, W. H. (1991) · doi:10.1515/9781503621534 · Cited by 1,117 · see citing works
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The Origin of Modern Human Behavior: Critique of the Models and Their Test Implications
Henshilwood, C. S., & Marean, C. W. (2003) · Current Anthropology · doi:10.1086/377665 · Cited by 735 · see citing works
Evolving the future: Toward a science of intentional change
Wilson, D. S., Hayes, S. C., Biglan, A., & Embry, D. D. (2014) · Behavioral and Brain Sciences · doi:10.1017/s0140525x13001593 · Cited by 255 · see citing works
Cumulative cultural learning: Development and diversity
Legare, C. H. (2017) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1620743114 · Cited by 173 · see citing works
The interplay between social networks and culture: theoretically and among whales and dolphins
Cantor, M., & Whitehead, H. (2013) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2012.0340 · Cited by 149 · see citing works
- Authors
- Laland, K. N., & Hoppitt, W.
- Affiliations
- University of St Andrews (GB)
- University of Cambridge (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Laland, Kevin N.
- Venue
- Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2003-01
- Volume
- 12
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 150-159
- ISSN
- 1060-1538 (ISSN-L)
- 1520-6505
- OpenAlex
- W2040487613
- Cited by
- 416
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 23 · 2021: 34 · 2020: 22 · 2019: 22 · 2018: 26 · 2017: 20 · 2016: 26 · 2015: 15 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 21
- FWCI
- 327.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Evolutionary Anthropology Issues News and Reviews (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Royal Society
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Cultural Studies › Language and cultural evolution
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Primate Behavior and Ecology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Child and Animal Learning Development
- Keywords
- animal culture, cumulative culture, non-human primates, imitation, teaching, language, perspective taking, cultural evolution
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