Blog - JGI Chimpanzee Blog
Study suggests chimpanzee culture is female-driven
Wired Science reports on a study that suggests females are the carriers of chimpanzee culture, rather than males. In an analysis of data from 7 communities of wild chimpanzees by scientists at Stockholm University, researchers found that the number of cultural traits correlated with the number of females in the community, but not with the number of males. The long-term research they looked at included the ongoing study Jane Goodall began in 1960, at Gombe National Park in Tanzania.
Great Apes May "Know About Knowing"
A recent study discussed in Science Daily suggests great apes are aware that they can be wrong when making a choice. In the study, 7 captive gorillas, 8 chimpanzees, 4 bonobos and 7 orangutans were presented with 2 tubes, 1 empty and 1 with food inside.
Gorillas Eat Meat Too?
Jane Goodall first documented that wild chimpanzees occasionally hunt and eat small mammals. Now, there's evidence raising the possibility gorillas also eat small vertebrates such as monkeys and antelope -- but the researchers involved say more study is needed. The study was intended to examine bonobos' meat-eating habits, using gorillas in Loango National Park in Gabon as a control. The evidence showed animal DNA infeces of both control and study groups.
Photos of the top 25 most endangered primates
In case you missed it, a report in February listed the top 25 most endangered primate species. They include great apes, the Cross River Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli) and Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii), both of whose numbers are in the hundreds.
Lava flow threatens chimpanzees
Wild chimpanzees in Virunga National Park are still safe from the deadly flow of lava off a volcano that erupted Saturday, according to Virunga National Park's website.
Park warden Innocent Mburanumwe wrote:
What's Up in the World of Chimpanzees?
Welcome to the newsest Jane Goodall Institute blog. Check back daily for a round-up of the most important and fascinating news about chimpanzees and other great apes. If you know of interesting chimp news, send it here.
