Mahale Chimpanzees: 50 Years of Research

Michio Nakamura · Kazuhiko Hosaka · Noriko Itoh · Koichiro Zamma

Sep. 2015 · Cambridge University Press

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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 Alongside previously unpublished data, the editors include new translations of Japanese writings throughout the book to bring previously inaccessible work to non-Japanese speakers.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.

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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.