It’s been well known for a while that chimpanzees have culture. What has been recently discovered is how they transmit it. Turns out they’re a lot like people. Chimps use role models and, even more interestingly, these role models must be fellow apes.
Humans can imitate anything. We can use chimps as role models, if we please. But, according to this study, chimps have wisely decided not to emulate us and only copy other chimps. I wish that were true but I doubt it. I’ve certainly read accounts of chimps who were raised by humans imitating humans.
Unfortunately, other than the species requirement, there is no mention of what qualifies a chimp as a role model. One would assume that it has something to do with their position in the hierarchy but you can never be sure.
