The Animal Culture Database (ACDB) v1.0.0 data and code

Socially transmitted behaviors are widespread across the animal kingdom, yet comprehensive datasets documenting their distribution and ecological significance remain scarce. Knowledge of animal behavioral traditions could be essential for understanding many species’ responses to anthropogenic disturbances and further enhancing conservation efforts. Here, we introduce the first open-access database that synthesizes data on animal cultural behaviors and traditions. The Animal Culture Database (ACDB) contains descriptions of 128 behaviors including forms of vocal communication, migration, predator defense, foraging practices, habitat alteration, play, mating displays, and other social behaviors for a sample of 61 species. In addition to offering an open-access resource for researchers, educators, and conservationists, the ACDB represents a critical step toward recognizing the role of social learning in animal populations. The ACDB can be accessed at: https://datadiversitylab.github.io/ACDB/.

The database includes a total of four tables. The species table contains taxonomic data for each species included in the database as well as species-specific information on social structure (species.csv). The groups table contains data pertaining to each group of animals, including location, size, and where it falls in a species’ social structure when applicable (groups.csv). One record in the species table can correspond to multiple records in the groups table. The behaviors table contains descriptions for each cultural behavior recorded, including information on social transmission and potential effects from human activity (behaviors.csv). One record in the groups table can correspond to multiple records in the behaviors table. The sources table includes details on the relevant primary references for a given entry in the dataset (sources.csv). Note that the species, groups, and behaviors table have fields specifying sources for particular variables (e.g. the primary social unit of a species, the size of a group, or the transmission mode of a behavior) linking them to the sources table. The database is also stored as ACDB_v01.sql.

ACDB_sqlite_build.R is primarily for illustrative purposes. It contains the code used to build the database from the csv files. If you would like to access the data, you can look at the individual tables as the CSV files or download the current database as ACDB_v01.sql. The example_queries.R script can also be used to load the SQLite database in R and run example queries on the tables.