The Pygmy Chimpanzee

Abstract

Studies pertaining to the feeding ecology of free-ranging common chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are numerous, and have been carried out in a wide range of habitats (Reynolds and Reynolds, 1965; Goodall, 1968; Nishida, 1968; Suzuki, 1969; Jones and Sabater Pi, 1971; Hladik, 1977; Wrangham, 1977; McGrew et al., 1981). But field studies on the pygmy chimpanzee (Pan paniscus) began only in the early 1970s, and are still far less numerous than those on common chimpanzees (Nishida, 1972; Badrian and Badrian, 1977; Horn, 1977; Kano, 1979; Kuroda, 1979; Susman et al., 1980). This study explores the habitat and diet of unhabituated, unprovidioned pygmy chimpanzees in the primary rain forest of the Lomako River in central Zaire. Data on the composition and seasonal changes of the forest are presented, and an attempt is made to relate the behavior of the pygmy chimpanzees to selected environmental factors.