Wild Chimpanzees: Social Behavior of an Endangered Species

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.

Table of Contents:
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.

About the Author :
Adam Clark Arcadi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Cornell University, New York, where he teaches courses in human evolution, primate behavior and primate conservation. He has conducted field research on wild chimpanzees in Kibale National Park (Uganda), and collaborated with researchers at the Gombe Steam Research Center (Tanzania) and the Taï Chimpanzee Project (Ivory Coast).

Review :
'… the first book to compile the available information about field studies of wild chimpanzees. To do so has required an immense effort on the part of the author, Adam Clark Arcadi. The long-term field studies at Gombe, Kibale, Budongo, Mahale, Bossou, and Tai, together with a large number of shorter term studies, are synthesised on a topic by topic basis. This gives the reader an overall perspective of wild chimpanzees which has hitherto been lacking. We see many features of behaviour and social organisation that all chimps have in common. And we also see ecological and cultural differences between different chimp communities across Africa. … a good book for all those seeking to understand our closest relatives in the animal kingdom: undergraduates in particular will benefit from this synthesis of all that is known at the present time. [Simultaneously], the author writes well so his book is accessible to the general reader.' Vernon Reynolds, University of Oxford 'Wild Chimpanzees is a superbly original and incisive overview of the behavior, ecology and conservation of a critically important species. Arcadi provides a broad primate context for his synthesis, presents a rich history of the main field-sites and the behavioral differences associated with them, and explores the evolutionary significance of numerous types of cooperation, competition and communication. Arcadi's clarity of exposition, systematic consideration and crisp thinking make this an invaluable source for students and professionals alike.' Richard Wrangham, Harvard University, Massachusetts 'Arcadi's Wild Chimpanzees weaves new research on the social behavior of wild chimpanzees into an accessibly written account of our closest relatives. Highly recommended for the library of anyone interested in new frontiers of great ape research.' Craig Stanford, University of Southern California '… 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