Wild Chimpanzees
Social Behavior of an Endangered Species

An introduction to chimpanzee behavior and conservation, synthesizing findings from long-term field studies in the African rainforest belt.

Adam Clark Arcadi (Author)

9781316647561, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 21 June 2018

244 pages, 4 b/w illus. 14 colour illus. 7 tables
22.8 x 15.3 x 1.4 cm, 0.44 kg

'… along with the clear explanations that are rooted in theory, makes this a perfect volume to assign in undergraduate courses in primatology. In fact, I used this book for an undergraduate seminar on chimpanzee behavioral ecology. One reason that the students enjoyed this volume was that Arcadi provides an objective voice … I think this is very well suited for an academic's bookshelf …' Zarin Machanda, The Quarterly Review of Biology

As our closest primate relatives, chimpanzees offer tantalizing clues about the behavior of early human ancestors. This book provides a rich and detailed portrait of chimpanzee social life in the wild, synthesizing hundreds of thousands of hours of research at seven long-term field sites. Why are the social lives of males and females so different? Why do groups of males sometimes seek out and kill neighboring individuals? Do chimpanzees cooperate when they hunt monkeys? Is their vocal behaviour like human speech? Are there different chimpanzee 'cultures'? Addressing these questions and more, Adam Arcadi presents a fascinating introduction to the chimpanzee social universe and the challenges we face in trying to save this species from extinction. With extensive notes organized by field site and an appendix describing field methods, this book is indispensable for students, researchers, and anyone else interested in the remarkable and complex world of these intelligent apes.

Preface
1. Primates, apes, and the study of chimpanzee social behavior
2. Seven long-term field studies
3. Chimpanzee fission-fusion social organization and its conservation implications
4. Sex differences in ranging and association patterns
5. Female social relationships and the defining influence of offspring care
6. Male social relationships and the dynamic interplay of competition and cooperation
7. Sexual behavior: conflicting strategies of males and females
8. Coalitionary lethal aggression between and within communities
9. Hunting, eating, and sharing meat
10. Communication: the form and content of signals
11. Community differences in grooming postures and tool use: innovation, social learning, and the question of 'culture'
Epilogue
Appendix: field methods for studying wild chimpanzees.

Subject Areas: Zoos & wildlife parks [WNH], Endangered species & extinction of species [RNKH1], Primates [PSVW79], Zoology: Vertebrates [PSVW], Animal behaviour [PSVP], Evolution [PSAJ], Physical anthropology [JHMP]