Test Your Knowledge Of Animal Intelligence With This Fact-Packed Quiz!

Mason Zimmer|Animals|13 Oct 2023

What sets orangutans apart from other primates?

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Am Orangutan is seen at Vienna Zoo on March 17, 2023.
Retry Correct Incorrect Although multiple primate species can use tools and show cognitive abilities, only orangutans and humans can warn their children about threats they noticed several minutes ago. According to the Smithsonian Magazine, an experiment saw orangutan mothers take their children away from researchers disguised as tigers quietly and then shout warnings at them once the danger had passed. This phenomenon is called “displaced reference,” and humans were once thought to be the only species capable of doing it.
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Joe Klamar/AFP via Getty Images
Joe Klamar/AFP via Getty Images

What sets orangutans apart from other primates?

  • They can recognize themselves in mirrors
  • They can rival young children in cognitive ability
  • They can use tools
  • They can talk about the past without a visual cue
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