Dataset 'Growing up wild: Social learning opportunities during foraging in immature baboons'

Immature individuals may have an important role in group-level information transmission because they learn socially more than adults. However, little is known about social learning opportunities during development, particularly in non-tool using species. Our aim was to determine how immatures’ social learning opportunities during foraging changed with age and differed between the sexes, and to whom (demonstrators) immatures directed more learning behaviours. We collected longitudinal and cross-sectional behavioural data on 53 immature wild chacma baboons (/Papio ursinus/), group-living primates that readily learn socially. Data were collected between 2021 and 2022 at the Tsaobis Baboon Project (http://tsaobisbaboonproject.org/) on two baboon troops ranging across Tsaobis Nature Park (Namibia) and analysed with generalised mixed models using the software R 4.3.0. We found that immatures concentrated social learning behaviours before and around the weaning period, but there were no sex differences. Immatures tended to target individuals in proximity when they were young, while they looked for specific demonstrators when older. In general, immatures preferred demonstrators who were grooming affiliates and individuals of a similar age as themselves, who could be part of their play network. Immature males directed fewer learning behaviours to grooming partners compared to female peers. Finally, higher-ranking immatures directed more learning behaviours and to a wider variety of individuals compared to lower-ranking peers. Overall, our results may suggest that the information acquired from others helps immatures to improve their independent foraging competence before being weaned. Tolerance, through shared proximity and grooming, seems important in determining immatures’ choice of demonstrators. Because baboons live in a matrilineal society with a high degree of nepotism, immatures’ enhanced learning opportunities from tolerant individuals may translate into a higher within-matriline versus across-matriline information transmission, which could limit group-level information transmission. Please see the associated manuscript for more information.