Dataset for: First report of sibling adoption in wild orangutans: Accelerated development of independence following maternal loss

Maternal loss is a detrimental early life adversity with negative consequences for the survival and development of juveniles. These negative consequences can be mitigated by adoption of the orphan. Here we provide behavioral data on a case of sibling adoption in wild Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) in Gunung Palung National Park, West Kalimantan, Indonesia. We compared the behavior of this adoptive sister pairing with mother-offspring pairs in our study population and considered costs and benefits to each sister. The orphaned younger sister survived and reached developmental milestones at a younger age than the population average. Her activity budget also showed a reduction in the percent of time spent playing. The adoptive older sister did not experience a delay in her reproductive timeline due to the adoption, but the age-sex class profile of her social partners differed from to other adolescent females in our study population. The daily average distance between the sisters was greater than the distance between mothers and their offspring the sisters, but there was no difference in time spent engaged in feeding tolerance compared mother-offspring pairs. Maternal loss appears to have accelerated the development of independence while adoption and alloparental care provided by her older sister allowed for her survival.

Description

This dataset consist of 3 data files (csv or xlsx) and one rmd file that contains the R code for data cleaning and analysis. These data were analyzed for the manuscript titled First Report of Sibling Adoption in Wild Orangutans: Accelerated Development of Independence Following Maternal Loss

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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States

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