Squirrel Monkeys First Discovered the Power of Social Networking: Study

It seems squirrel monkeys can teach a thing or two to Facebook and Twitter makers.  According to a study published in the Cell Press publication Current Biology, squirrel monkeys were the first ones to identify the power of social networking.

The study says that monkeys with the strongest social networks are quick to learn the latest foraging trends. The study was conducted on squirrel monkeys because of their natural inquisitiveness and their intense social life.

On combining social network analysis with traditional social learning experiments, study lead Andrew Whiten of the University of St Andrews found how these networks help in the spread of new cultural experiences

"Our study shows that innovations do not just spread randomly in primate groups but, as in humans, are shaped by the monkeys' social networks," Whiten said.

The researchers presented the monkeys with artificial fruits. There were actual fruit rewards inside and two methods of opening them. The researchers trained two alpha males from different groups of monkeys to open these artificial fruits, one alpha male was taught the lift technique and the leader in the other group was taught the pivot method. And after the training period the two monkeys were sent back to their groups and the researchers watched how the two male monkeys spread the technique to other members.

The monkey's social networks were recorded by tracking the amount of time the monkeys spent together in the area where the artificial fruits were placed.  Each monkey was rated on the basis of the 'centrality' or its social status in the network. Those monkeys with most connections got the highest rating.

The new method was more successfully picked up by monkeys that had the strongest social ties. Apart from this, they were more likely to pick up the techniques taught by the alpha male than the monkeys who were not a part of the central group.

"If there are subgroups within the network, then what appear to be mixed behaviors at the group level could in fact be different behaviors for different subgroups -- what could be called subcultures," Whiten concluded.