Animals have culture too, and it’s in our interests to embrace it

For much of modern history, the idea of ‘culture’ has been tightly bound to humanity. Our art, languages, customs, technologies – markers of our intelligence and social complexity. But over the last few decades, and especially considering recent discoveries, researchers have recognised that culture is not uniquely human.

Social learning and culture also shapes the behaviour of the animal kingdom, and underlies many critical biological processes, such as foraging, migration, communication and survival of birds, fish, mammals and even insects. Understanding animal culture could be integral in predicting which animals will adapt, or won’t, to climate change.

Key to the burgeoning field of animal culture has been broadening our definition of culture so we can compare across species – from humans, to primates, to whales and even bees. It’s an area that scientists like me are focusing on more.

In our research, ‘animal culture’ refers to behaviours learned socially and passed down through generations – not through genes, but through observation, imitation, and teaching. These behaviours can include everything from tool use and vocal dialects to migration routes and foraging techniques. They are not random or instinctual; they are traditions, shared within communities and shaped by experience.

Whales offer compelling examples. Humpback whales, for instance, are known for their complex and evolving songs, which are culturally transmitted across ocean basins. Foraging strategies can be socially learned and adapted to shifting environmental conditions. These behaviours can vary between populations and even change over time, suggesting a high degree of behavioural plasticity supported by memory and communication.

Migration, too, appears to be culturally shaped. Many whales return to the same breeding and feeding grounds year after year. Yet, there is also evidence of flexibility: some populations have “rediscovered” historical migratory routes, such as southern right whales returning to mainland New Zealand after nearly a century.

Sperm whales exist in separate clans in the eastern tropical Pacific based on their vocal cultures, with evidence of variation in foraging tactics between clans raising questions about different clans’ ability to respond to threats such as climate change.

There is work being done to establish whether sperm whale cultural clans in this region – identified by their unique, socially learned, acoustic codas – should be managed as culturally significant units.

Across animal species and geographies, isolated groups lose access to the social networks that sustain their traditions. In some cases, entire behavioural repertoires vanish within a generation. This is not just a loss of knowledge – it’s a loss of resilience; where and how to find food.

More broadly, cultural behaviours often help animals adapt to their environments. They can guide individuals to food sources, teach them how to avoid predators, and help them navigate complex social dynamics. When these behaviours are lost, animals are left more vulnerable to environmental change, human encroachment, and other threats. In this way, any erosion of animal culture is a silent crisis – one that undermines conservation efforts even as it goes largely unnoticed.

Traditionally, conservation has focused on protecting species and habitats. These are, of course, essential goals, but it isn’t the full picture if we want to preserve biodiversity. If we ignore the cultural dimension of animal life, we risk preserving species in name only – stripped of the very behaviours that make them successful and adaptable.

Animal culture offers something that genetic evolution cannot: speed. Genetic changes can take generations to spread, but cultural innovations can be adopted rapidly. A new foraging technique, a safer migration route, or a more efficient tool can be learned and shared within a single season. In a world where climate change and human activity are reshaping ecosystems at breakneck speed, this kind of flexibility is invaluable.

Too often, animals are treated as interchangeable units of a species, with little regard for social and cultural structures. This needs to change. Conservation strategies should be tailored to the specific cultural contexts of animal populations. That means recognising that a whale’s song, a bird’s flight path, or a chimpanzee’s tool use may not just be interesting – it could be essential.

Encouragingly, there are signs of progress. Some conservation initiatives are beginning to incorporate cultural knowledge. For example, efforts to protect whale populations now consider vocal dialects and migratory traditions. Reintroduction programs for birds and mammals are being designed with social learning in mind, ensuring that relocated individuals can integrate into existing communities and environments, and learn the survival skills necessary for a particular environment.

But these demonstrations of a more progressive understanding of animal culture remain the exception rather than the rule. What’s needed now is a broader shift in perspective – one that places social learning and culture at the heart of conservation. This means investing in long-term behavioural research, ecologists working with anthropologists, and developing policies that recognise the value of cultural diversity in non-human species.

It also means confronting difficult questions. How do we measure cultural loss in animals? Which traditions should we protect, or do we want to ensure a diversity of traditions to provide the capacity to adapt to an uncertain future? And how do we balance the need for intervention with respect for the autonomy of wild communities? These are complex challenges, but worth tackling. Because in the end, preserving animal culture is not just about saving behaviours – their song, their ability to crack open a nut — it’s about safeguarding the capacity for adaptation, innovation, and survival.

Culture is not the preserve of humans. It is a shared inheritance across the tree of life.. As we face the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate disruption, embracing the cultural lives of animals may be one of the most intelligent – and compassionate – moves we can make.