Mahale Chimpanzees: 50 Years of Research

Description

Long-term ecological research studies are rare and invaluable resources, particularly when they are as thoroughly documented as the Mahale Mountain Chimpanzee Project in Tanzania. Directed by Toshisada Nishida from 1965 until 2011, the project continues to yield new and fascinating findings about our closest neighbour species. In a fitting tribute to Nishida's contribution to science, this book brings together fifty years of research into one encyclopaedic volume. Alongside previously unpublished data, the editors include new translations of Japanese writings throughout the book to bring previously inaccessible work to non-Japanese speakers. The history and ecology of the site, chimpanzee behaviour and biology, and ecological management are all addressed through firsthand accounts by Mahale researchers. The authors highlight long-term changes in behaviour, where possible, and draw comparisons with other chimpanzee sites across Africa to provide an integrative view of chimpanzee research today.

Michio Nakamura is Associate Professor at the Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, Japan. He has studied the Mahale chimpanzees since 1994 and is a recipient of the Primate Society of Japan's Takashima Prize. Kazuhiko Hosaka is Associate Professor at Kamakura Women's University, Japan. His research focuses on the social interactions, hunting and meat-eating behaviour of chimpanzees in relation to human evolution. Noriko Itoh is a researcher in the Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, Japan. She has studied the Mahale chimpanzees since 1995, focusing on grouping behaviours and related environments. Koichiro Zamma is a researcher in the Graduate School of Asian and African Area Studies and in the Wildlife Research Center, both at Kyoto University, Japan. His research focuses on the impact of ectoparasite infections on grooming and on the sleep-related behaviours of chimpanzees.

'This is the most comprehensive review of research at a single study site of wild chimpanzees written to date ... The book is beautifully produced, with immense attention to detail, many illustrations and figures, and is very clearly written. As a result, the chapters are clear and straightforward. The 70 or so mainly Japanese researchers whose work is summarised here are dedicated, independent and fearless ... Chapter 24, on self-medication, written by Mike Huffman, is the best account I have read of the convoluted history of chimpanzee pharmacognoscy ... a wonderful book to dip into ...' Vernon Reynolds, Primates 'This book offers a deep dive into one of the most successful primatological projects ever conducted ... We are provided with a vivid image, a family picture, of some of our living relatives - their daily lives and the very-present threats that loom over them.' Thibaud Gruber, Conservation Biology 'One hopes this book will encourage collaborative efforts among sites to better control for differences in methodology. ... Overall, this volume represents an enormous and useful undertaking that will be of interest to readers, including primatologists, evolutionary anthropologists, and ecologists.' Michael L. Wilson, The Quarterly Review of Biology