https://explorersweb.com/young-orangutans-go-to-school-for-years-to-learn-nest-building/

Sumatran orangutans sleep in intricately
built nests high in the trees. They
skilfully weave twigs, leaves, and branches
daily to create these comfy beds. The
craftsmanship takes years to hone, so
mothers start teaching their young when
they’re just six months old.

It takes around seven years of “schooling”
for the young orangutans to learn how to
engineer a proper nest. These are learned
skills, not something a young primate is
born knowing how to do, like a weaverbird
does. Captive-born primates, or those that
do not have a role model to observe, become
“incompetent nest builders,” according to
a new study.

“The fact that it takes them so long to
acquire this skill shows us that it’s much
more complex than we realized,” says Andrea
Permana, lead author of the study.

They build the nests about 20 meters high
in the canopy. Fully grown male orangutans
weigh up to 130kg, so the nests must be
incredibly strong, or they risk falling
four stories to the ground below. Some
older primates become master builders,
creating pillows, blankets, padding, and
roofs.
...

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