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Scientists Find Out Why Chimpanzees Kill Their Neighbors
A 15-year territorial expansion by Ngogo chimpanzees led to a rise from 15 to 37 births in three years and reduced infant mortality from 41% to 8%, researchers found.
- A new long-term study led by UCLA and the University of Michigan finds lethal intergroup aggression at Uganda's Kibale National Park linked to territorial and reproductive gains for the Ngogo chimpanzee community, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
- Explaining the behaviour, the authors point to food and safety as key, since more land gave mothers better feeding opportunities and reduced threats from rival groups, lowering risks to infants.
- Using decades-long data, researchers documented births rising to 37 across three years and relied on more than 30 years of follow-up to compare pre- and post-expansion life.
- The study provides the first direct evidence that coalitionary killing linked to territorial gain enhanced reproductive success in the Ngogo community, marking a major reproductive boom among great apes.
- The study suggests the findings clarify evolutionary pressures shaping chimpanzee behaviour and highlight how long-term field studies contrast chimpanzee hostility with human societies’ prosociality amid over 8 billion people.
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Chimpanzees expand territory to boost reproduction, long-term study finds
Fifteen years ago, researchers working deep in Uganda’s Kibale National Park watched something unsettling unfold. The Ngogo chimpanzees, one of the largest known chimp communities, began killing members of neighboring groups and pushing into their territory. The violence was clear. The motive was not. Why would chimps take such a risky step? What evolutionary payoff […] Continue reading Chimpanzees expand territory to boost reproduction, long-te…
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Total News Sources15
Leaning Left1Leaning Right2Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution62% Center
Bias Distribution
- 62% of the sources are Center
62% Center
13%
C 62%
R 25%
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