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Morphological Identification of Hair Recovered from Feces for Detection of Cannibalism in Eastern Chimpanzees.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Walker, CS; Walker, KK; Paulo, G; Pusey, AE
Published in: Folia primatologica; international journal of primatology
January 2018

Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are primarily frugivorous but consume a variable amount of meat from a variety of organisms, including other chimpanzees. Cannibalism is rare, usually follows lethal aggression, and does not occur following natural deaths. While chimpanzee cannibalism has been documented at multiple sites, many instances of this behavior go unrecorded. Identification of chimpanzee remains in feces, however, can provide indirect evidence of cannibalism. Hair, in particular, typically passes through the gastrointestinal tract undamaged and is commonly used for purposes of identification in wildlife forensics. Here we test the hypothesis that eastern chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) guard hair morphology can be reliably distinguished from the hairs of their most common prey species. Methods and results are presented in the context of a case study involving a suspected chimpanzee infanticide from Gombe, Tanzania. We find that chimpanzee guard hair morphology is unique among tested mammals and that the presence of abundant chimpanzee hair in feces is likely the result of cannibalism and not incidental ingestion from grooming or other means. Accordingly, morphological analysis of guard hairs from feces is a promising, cost-effective tool for the determination of cannibalistic acts in chimpanzees.

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Published In

Folia primatologica; international journal of primatology

DOI

EISSN

1421-9980

ISSN

0015-5713

Publication Date

January 2018

Volume

89

Issue

3-4

Start / End Page

240 / 250

Related Subject Headings

  • Tanzania
  • Pan troglodytes
  • Hair
  • Feces
  • Cannibalism
  • Behavioral Science & Comparative Psychology
  • Animals
  • 3109 Zoology
  • 0608 Zoology
 

Citation

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ICMJE
MLA
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Walker, C. S., Walker, K. K., Paulo, G., & Pusey, A. E. (2018). Morphological Identification of Hair Recovered from Feces for Detection of Cannibalism in Eastern Chimpanzees. Folia Primatologica; International Journal of Primatology, 89(3–4), 240–250. https://doi.org/10.1159/000488509
Walker, Christopher S., Kara K. Walker, Gabo Paulo, and Anne E. Pusey. “Morphological Identification of Hair Recovered from Feces for Detection of Cannibalism in Eastern Chimpanzees.Folia Primatologica; International Journal of Primatology 89, no. 3–4 (January 2018): 240–50. https://doi.org/10.1159/000488509.
Walker CS, Walker KK, Paulo G, Pusey AE. Morphological Identification of Hair Recovered from Feces for Detection of Cannibalism in Eastern Chimpanzees. Folia primatologica; international journal of primatology. 2018 Jan;89(3–4):240–50.
Walker, Christopher S., et al. “Morphological Identification of Hair Recovered from Feces for Detection of Cannibalism in Eastern Chimpanzees.Folia Primatologica; International Journal of Primatology, vol. 89, no. 3–4, Jan. 2018, pp. 240–50. Epmc, doi:10.1159/000488509.
Walker CS, Walker KK, Paulo G, Pusey AE. Morphological Identification of Hair Recovered from Feces for Detection of Cannibalism in Eastern Chimpanzees. Folia primatologica; international journal of primatology. 2018 Jan;89(3–4):240–250.
Journal cover image

Published In

Folia primatologica; international journal of primatology

DOI

EISSN

1421-9980

ISSN

0015-5713

Publication Date

January 2018

Volume

89

Issue

3-4

Start / End Page

240 / 250

Related Subject Headings

  • Tanzania
  • Pan troglodytes
  • Hair
  • Feces
  • Cannibalism
  • Behavioral Science & Comparative Psychology
  • Animals
  • 3109 Zoology
  • 0608 Zoology