They believe it was caused by a neighboring male in what's known as a "long call battle," Laumer told Business Insider. Adult male orangutans like Rakus shout out "long calls" to attract females and let rival males know that this is their territory. Rakus may have unintentionally touched his leaf-mush-covered finger to his face, and instantly felt the pain-relieving properties of the plant, Laumer explained. But, because this is the first time this behavior has ever been observed in orangutans, scientists can't say for sure why or how Rakus did it. More alike than we are differentRakus's behavior reminds us a lot of our own behavior with medicinal plants, which could help us understand where our knack for medicinal treatment first evolved.

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Persons: —, Caroline Schuppli, Isabelle Laumer, Laumer, Rakus, liana, Akar, Saidi, seng chye teo Organizations: Service, Institute of Animal, Business, Suaq Locations: Gunung Leuser, South Aceh, Indonesia, Gabon