The Last Ape: Pygmy Chimpanzee Behavior and Ecology

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Written by one of the world's principal specialists on the pygmy chimpanzee, this is the first comprehensive work on the last of the African great apes to be studied in the wild. Also, the rarest of the great apes, it is found only in the tropical forest region of central Zaire. The Wamba Forest is the site of the longest continuous field study of the pygmy chimpanzee, and this book is a richly illustrated, first-hand account of the author's observations and experiences in Wamba from 1974 to 1985. The pygmy ...
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Overview

Written by one of the world's principal specialists on the pygmy chimpanzee, this is the first comprehensive work on the last of the African great apes to be studied in the wild. Also, the rarest of the great apes, it is found only in the tropical forest region of central Zaire. The Wamba Forest is the site of the longest continuous field study of the pygmy chimpanzee, and this book is a richly illustrated, first-hand account of the author's observations and experiences in Wamba from 1974 to 1985. The pygmy chimpanzee differs taxonomically and physiologically from the familiar "common" chimpanzee seen in zoos and circuses. It is smaller, darker, and slimmer, stands more upright, and is far more active sexually throughout its life. There are also great differences in its behavior and its social and ecological relationships. Throughout, the author compares the two species, giving the reader an appreciation of their contrasting habits. Pygmy chimpanzees are thought by some to be the closest living relatives to ancestral Homo Sapiens. As such, they are broadening our understanding of human and prehominid evolution. On the basis of individual survival, they are the most successful of the higher primates. In most primates, "competition" determines how individuals and groups subsist and leave descendants, and dominate or subordinate rank determines relationships between individuals. But by pursuing sexual and quasi-sexual behavior during interactions - between individuals of any age or sex and with remarkable frequency - pygmy chimpanzees conceal the operation of rank and live peacefully together in large groups. Their sexual behavior also promotes food sharing, reduces tensions between males and females, and indeed matches our own in complexity and bonding importance. After the first chapter, "Why Study Chimpanzees?," the author presents chapters on distribution, social groups and social patterns, food, the behavior of individuals, sexual behavior, and social behavio
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Editorial Reviews

Booknews
Not "last" because all the others are about to die out, but because they are the most recent of the apes to be studied thoroughly. Kano (zoology, Primate Research Institute, Kzota, Japan) recounts his observations and experiences in the Wamba Forest, Zaire, 1974-85, studying what many believe to be the species most closely related to humans. He particularly notes how the lifelong sexual and quasi-sexual behavior among individuals of any age and gender, alleviates the competition and dominance prevalent among other primates. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780804716123
  • Publisher: Stanford University Press
  • Publication date: 9/1/1992
  • Pages: 280

Table of Contents

Author's Acknowledgments
Author's Preface to the English Edition
Translator's Preface
Figures and Maps
Tables
1 Why Study Chimpanzees? 1
Parallels with Ourselves 1
The Discovery of Chimpanzees 17
The Place of Pygmy Chimpanzees 22
Special Features of Pygmy Chimpanzees 26
A Brief History of Field Research 34
2 Distribution 39
The Historical Record 39
Research in Recent Decades 41
Ecological Conditions 49
Population Size and Density 58
Factors Determining Distribution and Density 59
Comparison with Common Chimpanzees 62
3 Social Groups and Social Patterns 67
Four Patterns 67
The Unit Group and Fission and Fusion 70
Wamba's E-Group 76
Environmental Pressures and Physical Abnormalities 82
Comparison with Common Chimpanzees 89
4 Food and Nutrition 93
The Variety of Foods 93
Principal Foods and Seasonal Changes 96
Taste 102
Food Culture 105
Nutritional Value 108
Comparison with Common Chimpanzees 113
5 Behavior of Individuals 116
Daytime Behavior 116
Daily Travel Distance and Home Range 119
Habitat Utilization 120
Searching for Food 122
Nest-Making 126
Comparison with Common Chimpanzees 135
6 Sexual Behavior 138
The Role and Diversity of Sex 138
Copulation 139
Reactions of Others 145
The Development of Mating 149
Frequency of Copulation 150
Comparison with Common Chimpanzees 154
7 Social Behavior and Social Relationships 163
Kin Relationships 163
Relationships Between Adult Males 175
Relationships Between Adult Males and Females 184
Relationships Between Adult Females 189
Immature and Adolescent Social Relationships 196
Relationships Between Groups 203
Comparison with Common Chimpanzees 204
8 Why are Pygmy Chimpanzees Interesting? 210
Appendixes 223
References Cited 235
Index 245
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