Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Adult Cleaner Wrasse Outperform Capuchin Monkeys, Chimpanzees And Orang-Utans In A Complex Foraging Task Derived From Cleaner – Client Reef Fish Cooperation, Lucie H. Salwiczek, Laurent Pretot, Lanila Demarta, Darby Proctor, Jennifer Essler, Ana I. Pinto, Sharon Wismer, Tara Stoinski, Sarah F. Brosnan, Redouan Bshary

Psychology Faculty Publications

The insight that animals’ cognitive abilities are linked to their evolutionary history, and hence their ecology, provides the framework for the comparative approach. Despite primates renowned dietary complexity and social cognition, including cooperative abilities, we here demonstrate that cleaner wrasse outperform three primate species, capuchin monkeys, chimpanzees and orang-utans, in a foraging task involving a choice between two actions, both of which yield identical immediate rewards, but only one of which yields an additional delayed reward. The foraging task decisions involve partner choice in cleaners: they must service visiting client reef fish before resident clients to access both; otherwise the …