Investigations on chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) termite-fishing cognition: Issa, western Tanzania
Social Sciences
Senior Thesis Seminar ANTH 195A,B,C
Our objective is to demonstrate the link between chimpanzee termite-fishing behavior and the seasonal activity of termites in eastern equatorial Africa to provide evidence of chimpanzee foraging cognition with implications for paleoanthropology. Using remote video analysis we present evidence that chimpanzees of the Issa Valley Tanzania have an awareness of the seasonal availability of termite (Macrotermes subhyalinus) activity and engage in termite-fishing behavior exclusively during the early wet season when termites are most accessible.
