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7th April 2025 (16 Topics)

West African Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus)

Context

A recent study published in Cell has documented how chimpanzees in West Africa use unique mating dialects — a form of cultural behaviour — and how human impacts are causing the loss of these dialects. This raises a broader question about conservation of animal cultures, not just species.

Key Findings from the Study

  • Chimpanzees exhibit culture through learned and shared traditions, like humans.
  • Scientists identified four distinct ‘dialects’ used by male chimpanzees to signal mating interest:
    1. Heel-kick (stomping to make noise)
    2. Knuckle-knock (soft tapping on surfaces)
    3. Leaf-clip (ripping leaves to produce sound)
    4. Branch-shake (vigorous shaking of branches)
  • These gestures are community-specific and learned, not genetically inherited.
  • Demographic collapse (loss of adult males in some groups) led to the loss of specific dialects (e.g., knuckle-knock in the North group).
  • Even after the population recovered, the lost dialect didn’t return — suggesting cultural knowledge was not passed on.

About the Species

  • West African Chimpanzee is a subspecies of the common chimpanzee, found in West Africa, including Côte d’Ivoire (also called the Ivory Coast).
  • These primates live in social structures formed by multiple males and females.
  • They are very active and communicative with each other, with many vocalisations, sounds and gestures to interact.
  • They are highly intelligent.
  • IUCN Red List: Critically endangered

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