scholarly journals Intercommunity interactions and killings in central chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) from Loango National Park, Gabon

Primates ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Martínez-Íñigo ◽  
Pauline Baas ◽  
Harmonie Klein ◽  
Simone Pika ◽  
Tobias Deschner
Keyword(s):  
Pan Troglodytes ◽  
National Park ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Encounter Rate ◽  
Visual Contact ◽  
Intergroup Interactions ◽  
Killing Rate ◽  
The Core ◽  
Pan Troglodytes Troglodytes

AbstractIntercommunity competition in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) has been widely studied in eastern (P. t. schweinfurthii) and western (P. t. verus) communities. Both subspecies show hostility towards neighboring communities but differ in rates of lethal attacks and female involvement. However, relatively little is known about the territorial behavior of the two other subspecies, central (P. t. troglodytes) and Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees (P. t. ellioti). Here, we present the first insights into intercommunity interactions of individuals of a community of central chimpanzees living in the Loango National Park in Gabon. The presence of individuals of neighboring communities in the Rekambo home range was assessed using 27 camera traps. Information was compiled on intergroup interactions recorded before (2005–2016) and after (January 2017–June 2019) the habituation of the community. Individuals from neighboring communities entered the core area, where nine out of 16 recorded intercommunity encounters occurred. Males were the main participants in territorial patrols and intercommunity aggressions. Females were part of all six territorial patrols recorded and dependent offspring participated in five patrols. Females were involved in intercommunity aggression in five out of twelve recorded encounters in which there was visual contact between communities. While the intercommunity encounter rate was lower than that reported across most other long-term chimpanzee sites, the annual intercommunity killing rate was among the highest. These results suggest that the frequency of lethal attacks at Loango is comparable to that reported for the eastern subspecies. In contrast, female involvement in intercommunity interactions mirrors that of the western subspecies.

scholarly journals Hunting of mammals by central chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) in the Loango National Park, Gabon

Primates ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harmonie Klein ◽  
Gaëlle Bocksberger ◽  
Pauline Baas ◽  
Sarah Bunel ◽  
Erwan Théleste ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pan Troglodytes ◽  
National Park ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Monkey Species ◽  
Hunting Behaviour ◽  
Pan Troglodytes Troglodytes ◽  
Hunting Frequency

AbstractThe predation and consumption of animals are common behaviours in chimpanzees across tropical Africa. To date, however, relatively little is known concerning the hunting behaviour of central chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes). Here, we provide the first direct observations of hunting behaviour by individuals of the newly habituated Rekambo community in the Loango National Park, Gabon. Over a period of 23 months (May 2017 to March 2019), we observed a total of 61 predation attempts on eight mammal species, including four monkey species. The two most frequently hunted species were two monkey species (Cercocebus torquatus,Cercopithecus nictitans), which are not hunted at other long-term field sites. The majority of predation events observed involved parties of an average of eight individuals, mainly adult males, with hunting success being higher with increasing numbers of participants. Hunting occurred all year round, but hunting rates increased in the dry season, the period of high fruit availability in the Loango National Park. These results are in line with the nutrient surplus hypothesis which explains seasonal variation in hunting behaviour in several populations of eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii: e.g., Mahale, Tanzania; Ngogo, Uganda). Finally, with a hunting frequency of 2.65 hunts per month, the Rekambo community had higher hunting rates than other sites (Bossou, Republic of Guinea; Kahuzi-Biega, Democratic Republic of Congo; Budongo, Uganda) where red colobus monkeys are also absent. We discuss these results and compare them to patterns at other long-term sites.

scholarly journals The Increase of Sumatran Tiger’s Prey Following Eradication of Melastoma malabatrichum in Way Kambas National Park, Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 63972
Author(s):  
Jani Master ◽  
Ibnul Qayim ◽  
Dede Setiadi ◽  
Nyoto Santoso
Keyword(s):  
Wild Boar ◽  
National Park ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Encounter Rate ◽  
Feeding Ground ◽  
Sambar Deer ◽  
Way Kambas National Park

The invasion of the planter's rhododendron (Melastoma malabatrichum) in Way Kambas National Park caused the loss of the sumatran tiger preys feeding ground, therefore efforts were made to eradicate the plant. This study aimed to compare the presence of sumatran tiger preys between M. malabatrichum-invaded location and eradicated location. Eradication was carried out by removing M. malabatrichum on a plot measuring 80 x 60 m2. To record the animal visit, the camera traps were placed at the eradicated and invaded location of M. malabatrichum for comparison. The results showed that the M. malabatrichum eradicated location was more frequently visited by sumatran tiger preys. At the M. malabatrichum eradicated location, camera traps recorded 19 species of wild boar having the highest encounter rate (55.23) followed by sambar deer (33.24), and long-tailed macaque (17.43). Meanwhile, at the M. malabatrichum invaded location, camera traps recorded 13 species with wild boar having the highest encounter rate (30.56), followed by sambar deer (14.75), and long-tailed macaque (14.48). Thus, the eradication of M. malabatrichum had a good impact on increasing the number of sumatran tiger preys due to the availability of feed after being free from M. malabatrichum invasion.

scholarly journals Sustainable Peeling of Kapok Tree (Ceiba pentandra) Bark by the Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) of Comoé National Park, Ivory Coast

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 962-988 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Lapuente ◽  
Mimi Arandjelovic ◽  
Hjalmar Kühl ◽  
Paula Dieguez ◽  
Christophe Boesch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pan Troglodytes ◽  
Ivory Coast ◽  
National Park ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Pan Troglodytes Verus ◽  
Papio Anubis ◽  
Ceiba Pentandra ◽  
Fallback Food ◽  
Bark Peeling

AbstractPrimates often consume either bark or cambium (inner bark) as a fallback food to complete their diet during periods of food scarcity. Wild chimpanzees exhibit great behavioral diversity across Africa, as studies of new populations frequently reveal. Since 2014, we have been using a combination of camera traps and indirect signs to study the ecology and behavior of wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) in Comoé National Park, Ivory Coast, to document and understand the behavioral adaptations that help them to survive in a savanna–forest mosaic landscape. We found that Comoé chimpanzees peel the bark of the buttresses of kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra) trees to eat the cambium underneath. Individuals of all sex/age classes across at least six neighboring communities peeled the bark, but only during the late rainy season and beginning of the dry season, when cambium may represent an important fallback food. Baboons (Papio anubis) also target the same trees but mainly eat the bark itself. Most of the bark-peeling wounds on Ceiba trees healed completely within 2 years, seemingly without any permanent damage. We recorded chimpanzees visiting trees in early stages of wound recovery but leaving them unpeeled. Only 6% of peeled trees (N = 53) were reexploited after a year, suggesting that chimpanzees waited for the rest of the trees to regrow the bark fully before peeling them again, thus using them sustainably. Many human groups of hunter-gatherers and herders exploited cambium sustainably in the past. The observation that similar sustainable bark-peeling behavior evolved in both chimpanzees and humans suggests that it has an important adaptive value in harsh environments when other food sources become seasonally scarce, by avoiding the depletion of the resource and keeping it available for periods of scarcity.

scholarly journals Female monopolizability promotes within-community killing in chimpanzees

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael L. Wilson ◽  
Anthony Massaro ◽  
Emily Wroblewski ◽  
Deus Mjungu ◽  
Emily Boehm ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Density ◽  
Pan Troglodytes ◽  
National Park ◽  
High Population ◽  
Published Data ◽  
High Population Density ◽  
Gombe National Park ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Study Sites

Abstract Male chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) defend group territories and sometimes kill members of rival communities — a pattern often compared to human warfare1-3. Male chimpanzees also sometimes kill grown males from their own community4-9. Such within-community killings are puzzling, as they reduce the coalition strength needed to win inter-community contests5,10. Here we examine the contexts of within-community killing using data from two neighboring communities at Gombe National Park, Tanzania, as well as published data from other long-term chimpanzee study sites. At Gombe, more killing occurred within the smaller Mitumba community, where fertile females were more monopolizable. Attackers increased their share of mating and paternity following known and inferred killings. Other factors proposed to explain such killings, including the degree of intercommunity threat, male-biased sex ratios, high population density, or generalized aggression, did not explain the high rates of killing in Mitumba. Comparing across study sites, the best predictor of within-community killing was an index of the degree to which fertile females can be monopolized by the highest ranking male11. Our findings therefore support the hypothesis that within-community killing is a strategy to eliminate reproductive rivals that is more likely to pay off when fertile females are more easily monopolized.

scholarly journals First Assessment of Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) density and bedding behaviour in the Pongara National Park, Gabon

2007 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 22-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles-Albert Petre ◽  
Marie-Claude Huynen ◽  
Roseline Beudels-Jamar
Keyword(s):  
Pan Troglodytes ◽  
National Park ◽  
Pan Troglodytes Troglodytes

scholarly journals Fighting back: Population recovery and expansion of the range size of the Mitumba chimpanzee community in Gombe National Park, Tanzania

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deus Mjungu ◽  
Michael L Wilson ◽  
Steffen Foerster ◽  
Anne E Pusey
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Decisive Role ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Playback Experiments ◽  
Intergroup Interactions ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Number Of Males ◽  
Numerical Advantage ◽  
Long Term Studies

Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) compete aggressively for territory with their neighbors. Results from playback experiments and observations of naturally occurring intergroup interactions indicate that success in territorial competition depends mainly on the number of adult males on each side. Communities with more males are therefore expected to win more intergroup contests and, as a result, expand their range. Demography is thus expected to play a decisive role in intergroup competition. Testing this hypothesis, however, has proven difficult. Most studies have focused on a single community, so that the actual number of males is known for only one side. Additionally, because chimpanzees reproduce and grow slowly, many years of data are needed to test the effects of demographic change on territorial behavior. Here we report on 20 years of data from two habituated neighboring communities. We found that numerical advantage plays an important role in territorial competition. During the first part of the study period, the Mitumba community suffered a demographic decline. As a result, males from the larger Kasekela community won the majority of intergroup interactions and expanded their range deep into areas previously used by Mitumba. However, during the last five years, the Mitumba community increased in size, and subsequently recovered a substantial portion of their range from the Kasekela chimpanzees. This study highlights the importance of long-term studies for understanding territorial dynamics.

scholarly journals A first confirmed record of the Indian Crested Porcupine Hystrix indica (Mammalia: Rodentia: Hystricidae) in the United Arab Emirates

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 11928
Author(s):  
Maral K. Chreiki ◽  
Mark D. Steer ◽  
Sami Ullah Majeed ◽  
Swamiti Kakembo ◽  
Steve Ross
Keyword(s):  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
National Park ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Social Surveys ◽  
Crested Porcupine

We report the first records of the Indian Crested Porcupine (Hystrix indica; Kerr, 1792) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), approximately 600km beyond its known range in Arabia.  Images of H. indica were taken by camera traps at two locations in Wadi Wurayah National Park (WWNP), Fujairah, in three separate events in 2015 and 2016.  Long-term occupancy of porcupines was confirmed via social surveys conducted in four villages bordering WWNP.  These findings represent a previously unrecorded and most likely isolated subpopulation of H. indica.  Further study is warranted to assess the genetic and demographic resilience of the population. 

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