Abstract
The chimpanzees of Bossou (Pan troglodytes verus) have been forced to adapt ecologically and behaviorally to the various costs and benefits of living in a human-dominated environment. The chimpanzees frequently feed on cultivated foods; however, significant variation exists in the importance of such foods in the chimpanzees’ diet. Certain crops are mostly fallback foods, whereas others are preferred food items and are taken according to their availability in orchards and fields. While engaged in crop-raiding, the chimpanzees exhibit several behavioral adaptations, namely, a decrease in vocalization levels and increases in the transportation of food and specific vigilance behavior. Adult males and adult male-only parties crop-raid more than other age- and sex-classes/compositions and are more likely to take risks by raiding in exposed environments with increased risk of human confrontation. The use of human crops also affects the sociosexual behavior of the chimpanzees: chimpanzees appear to share the fruits of their risky labors (crop-raiding) as a delayed food-for-sex strategy, which allows adult males to advertise prowess and enhance affiliative relationships with reproductively valuable females.
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Acknowledgments
I wish to thank all the local assistants and Bossou villagers who helped during this research period. This work was supported by a Stirling University studentship, a postdoctoral research grant from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal, and MEXT grant #20002001, JSPS-HOPE, and JSPS-gCOE (A06, Biodiversity).
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Hockings, K.J. (2011). The Crop-Raiders of the Sacred Hill. In: Matsuzawa, T., Humle, T., Sugiyama, Y. (eds) The Chimpanzees of Bossou and Nimba. Primatology Monographs. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-53921-6_23
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