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Freymann E, Carvalho S, Garbe LA, Dwi Ghazhelia D, Hobaiter C, Huffman MA, Muhumuza G, Schulz L, Sempebwa D, Wald F, Yikii ER, Zuberbühler K, Schultz F. Pharmacological and behavioral investigation of putative self-medicative plants in Budongo chimpanzee diets. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0305219. [PMID: 38900778 PMCID: PMC11189245 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0305219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/25/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Wild chimpanzees consume a variety of plants to meet their dietary needs and maintain wellbeing. While some plants have obvious value, others are nutritionally poor and/or contain bioactive toxins which make ingestion costly. In some cases, these nutrient-poor resources are speculated to be medicinal, thought to help individuals combat illness. In this study, we observed two habituated chimpanzee communities living in the Budongo Forest, Uganda, and collected 17 botanical samples associated with putative self-medication behaviors (e.g., bark feeding, dead wood eating, and pith-stripping) or events (e.g., when consumer had elevated parasite load, abnormal urinalysis, or injury). In total, we selected plant parts from 13 species (nine trees and four herbaceous plants). Three extracts of different polarities were produced from each sample using n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol/water (9/1, v/v) and introduced to antibacterial and anti-inflammatory in vitro models. Extracts were evaluated for growth inhibition against a panel of multidrug-resistant clinical isolates of bacteria, including ESKAPE strains and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibition activity. Pharmacological results suggest that Budongo chimpanzees consume several species with potent medicinal properties. In the antibacterial library screen, 45 out of 53 extracts (88%) exhibited ≥40% inhibition at a concentration of 256 μg/mL. Of these active extracts, 41 (91%) showed activity at ≤256μg/mL in subsequent dose-response antibacterial experiments. The strongest antibacterial activity was achieved by the n-hexane extract of Alstonia boonei dead wood against Staphylococcus aureus (IC50: 16 μg/mL; MIC: 32 μg/mL) and Enterococcus faecium (IC50: 16 μg/mL; MIC: >256 μg/mL) and by the methanol-water extract of Khaya anthotheca bark and resin against E. faecium (IC50: 16 μg/mL; MIC: 32 μg/mL) and pathogenic Escherichia coli (IC50: 16 μg/mL; MIC: 256 μg/mL). We observed ingestion of both these species by highly parasitized individuals. K. anthotheca bark and resin were also targeted by individuals with indicators of infection and injuries. All plant species negatively affected growth of E. coli. In the anti-inflammatory COX-2 inhibition library screen, 17 out of 51 tested extracts (33%) showed ≥50% COX-2 inhibition at a concentration of 5 μg/mL. Several extracts also exhibited anti-inflammatory effects in COX-2 dose-response experiments. The K. anthotheca bark and resin methanol-water extract showed the most potent effects (IC50: 0.55 μg/mL), followed by the fern Christella parasitica methanol-water extract (IC50: 0.81 μg/mL). This fern species was consumed by an injured individual, a feeding behavior documented only once before in this population. These results, integrated with associated observations from eight months of behavioral data, provide further evidence for the presence of self-medicative resources in wild chimpanzee diets. This study addresses the challenge of distinguishing preventative medicinal food consumption from therapeutic self-medication by integrating pharmacological, observational, and health monitoring data-an essential interdisciplinary approach for advancing the field of zoopharmacognosy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elodie Freymann
- Primate Models for Behavioural Evolution Lab, Institute of Human Sciences, Department of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Susana Carvalho
- Primate Models for Behavioural Evolution Lab, Institute of Human Sciences, Department of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Gorongosa National Park, Sofala, Mozambique
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Archaeology and the Evolution of Human Behaviour, University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal
| | - Leif A. Garbe
- Ethnopharmacology & Zoopharmacognosy Research Group, Department of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Neubrandenburg University of Applied Sciences, Neubrandenburg, Germany
- ZELT–Center for Nutrition and Food Technology gGmbH
| | - Dinda Dwi Ghazhelia
- Ethnopharmacology & Zoopharmacognosy Research Group, Department of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Neubrandenburg University of Applied Sciences, Neubrandenburg, Germany
| | - Catherine Hobaiter
- Wild Minds Lab, School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom
- Budongo Conservation Field Station, Masindi, Uganda
| | - Michael A. Huffman
- Wildlife Research Center, Inuyama Campus, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Japan
| | | | - Lena Schulz
- Ethnopharmacology & Zoopharmacognosy Research Group, Department of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Neubrandenburg University of Applied Sciences, Neubrandenburg, Germany
| | - Daniel Sempebwa
- Budongo Conservation Field Station, Masindi, Uganda
- Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Florian Wald
- Ethnopharmacology & Zoopharmacognosy Research Group, Department of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Neubrandenburg University of Applied Sciences, Neubrandenburg, Germany
- ZELT–Center for Nutrition and Food Technology gGmbH
| | | | - Klaus Zuberbühler
- Budongo Conservation Field Station, Masindi, Uganda
- Department of Comparative Cognition, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Fabien Schultz
- Ethnopharmacology & Zoopharmacognosy Research Group, Department of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Neubrandenburg University of Applied Sciences, Neubrandenburg, Germany
- Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy, School of Pharmacy, University College of London, London, United Kingdom
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Freymann E, d'Oliveira Coelho J, Hobaiter C, Huffman MA, Muhumuza G, Zuberbühler K, Carvalho S. Applying collocation and APRIORI analyses to chimpanzee diets: Methods for investigating nonrandom food combinations in primate self-medication. Am J Primatol 2024; 86:e23603. [PMID: 38293796 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
Identifying novel medicinal resources in chimpanzee diets has historically presented challenges, requiring extensive behavioral data collection and health monitoring, accompanied by expensive pharmacological analyses. When putative therapeutic self-medicative behaviors are observed, these events are often considered isolated occurrences, with little attention paid to other resources ingested in combination. For chimpanzees, medicinal resource combinations could play an important role in maintaining well-being by tackling different symptoms of an illness, chemically strengthening efficacy of a treatment, or providing prophylactic compounds that prevent future ailments. We call this concept the self-medicative resource combination hypothesis. However, a dearth of methodological approaches for holistically investigating primate feeding ecology has limited our ability to identify nonrandom resource combinations and explore potential synergistic relationships between medicinal resource candidates. Here we present two analytical tools that test such a hypothesis and demonstrate these approaches on feeding data from the Sonso chimpanzee community in Budongo Forest, Uganda. Using 4 months of data, we establish that both collocation and APRIORI analyses are effective exploratory tools for identifying binary combinations, and that APRIORI is effective for multi-item rule associations. We then compare outputs from both methods, finding up to 60% agreement, and propose APRIORI as more effective for studies requiring control over confidence intervals and those investigating nonrandom associations between more than two resources. These analytical tools, which can be extrapolated across the animal kingdom, can provide a cost-effective and efficient method for targeting resources for further pharmacological investigation, potentially aiding in the discovery of novel medicines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elodie Freymann
- Primate Models for Behavioural Evolution Lab, Department of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, Institute of Human Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - João d'Oliveira Coelho
- Primate Models for Behavioural Evolution Lab, Department of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, Institute of Human Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Catherine Hobaiter
- Budongo Conservation Field Station, Masindi, Uganda
- Wild Minds Lab, School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Michael A Huffman
- Wildlife Research Center, Inuyama Campus, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Japan
| | | | - Klaus Zuberbühler
- Budongo Conservation Field Station, Masindi, Uganda
- Department of Comparative Cognition, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Susana Carvalho
- Primate Models for Behavioural Evolution Lab, Department of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, Institute of Human Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Archaeology and the Evolution of Human Behaviour, University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal Gorongosa National Park, Sofala, Mozambique
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Koops K, Akankwasa W, Camara HD, Fitzgerald M, Keir A, Mamy G, Matsuzawa T, Péter H, Vicent K, Zuberbühler K, Hobaiter C. Flexible grouping patterns in a western and eastern chimpanzee community. Am J Primatol 2024; 86:e23593. [PMID: 38247391 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Primate social organizations, or grouping patterns, vary significantly across species. Behavioral strategies that allow for flexibility in grouping patterns offer a means to reduce the costs of group living. Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) have a fission-fusion social system in which temporary subgroups ("parties") change in composition because of local socio-ecological conditions. Notably, western chimpanzees (P. t. verus) are described as showing a higher degree of bisexual bonding and association than eastern chimpanzees, and eastern female chimpanzees (P. t. schweinfurthii) are thought to be more solitary than western female chimpanzees. However, reported comparisons in sociality currently depend on a small number of study groups, particularly in western chimpanzees, and variation in methods. The inclusion of additional communities and direct comparison using the same methods are essential to assess whether reported subspecies differences in sociality hold in this behaviorally heterogeneous species. We explored whether sociality differs between two communities of chimpanzees using the same motion-triggered camera technology and definitions of social measures. We compare party size and composition (party type, sex ratio) between the western Gahtoy community in the Nimba Mountains (Guinea) and the eastern Waibira community in the Budongo Forest (Uganda). Once potential competition for resources such as food and mating opportunities were controlled for, subspecies did not substantially influence the number of individuals in a party. We found a higher sex-ratio, indicating more males in a party, in Waibira; this pattern was driven by a greater likelihood in Gahtoy to be in all-female parties. This finding is the opposite of what was expected for eastern chimpanzees, where female-only parties are predicted to be more common. Our results highlight the flexibility in chimpanzee sociality, and caution against subspecies level generalizations.
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Grants
- Newnham College, University of Cambridge
- Royal Zoological Society of Scotland
- Homerton College, University of Cambridge
- Gates Cambridge Trust
- #12002009 Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
- #16002001 Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
- #20002001 Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
- #24000001 Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
- #16H06 Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
- Stichting Lucie Burgers
- PCEFP3_186967 Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathelijne Koops
- Ape Behaviour & Ecology Group, Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | | | | | - Alex Keir
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Gnan Mamy
- Institute de Recherche Environnementale de Bossou, Bossou, Guinea
| | - Tetsuro Matsuzawa
- Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
- Department of Pedagogy, Chubu Gakuin University, Gifu, Japan
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Hella Péter
- School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Kizza Vicent
- Budongo Conservation Field Station, Masindi, Uganda
| | - Klaus Zuberbühler
- Budongo Conservation Field Station, Masindi, Uganda
- Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Catherine Hobaiter
- Budongo Conservation Field Station, Masindi, Uganda
- Wild Minds Lab, School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
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Debetencourt B, Barry MM, Arandjelovic M, Stephens C, Maldonado N, Boesch C. Camera traps unveil demography, social structure, and home range of six unhabituated Western chimpanzee groups in the Moyen Bafing National Park, Guinea. Am J Primatol 2024; 86:e23578. [PMID: 37985945 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Precise estimates of population dynamics and social grouping patterns are required for effective conservation of wild animal populations. It is difficult to obtain such information on non-human great apes as they have slow reproductive rates. To gain a better understanding of demography in these populations, previous research has typically involved habituation\, a process that requires years. Here, we collected data continuously over year-long periods to monitor an unhabituated population of critically endangered Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) in the Moyen Bafing National Park, Guinea. We used two arrays of 100 camera traps that were placed opportunistically in two distinct 100 km2 sites, named Bakoun and Koukoutamba. We identified 227 individuals in Bakoun and 207 in Koukoutamba through their unique facial features. Our camera trap data make clear that these individuals belong to six and seven closed groups, respectively. Six of those groups were near-completely sampled with an average minimum size of 46.8 individuals (range: 37-58), and a mean adult sex ratio of 1.32 (range: 0.93-2.10). We described the demographic composition of these groups and use Bayesian social network analysis to understand population structure. The network analyses suggested that the social bonds within the two populations were structured by sex homophily, with male chimpanzees being more or equally likely to be observed together than other adult associations. Through estimation of minimum convex polygons, we described the minimum home range for those groups. Compared to other chimpanzee groups living in a similar environment (mosaic savanna-forest), the Moyen Bafing region seems to host a high-density of chimpanzees with small home ranges for their group size. Our research highlights the potential of camera traps for studying the demographic composition of chimpanzee populations with high resolution and obtaining crucial information on several groups in a time-efficient and cost-effective way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Debetencourt
- Department of Primate Behavior and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI-EVA), Leipzig, Germany
- Wild Chimpanzee Foundation, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Mamadou Moussa Barry
- Wild Chimpanzee Foundation, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Mimi Arandjelovic
- Department of Primate Behavior and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI-EVA), Leipzig, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Leipzig, Germany
| | - Colleen Stephens
- Department of Primate Behavior and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI-EVA), Leipzig, Germany
| | - Nuria Maldonado
- Department of Primate Behavior and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI-EVA), Leipzig, Germany
| | - Christophe Boesch
- Department of Primate Behavior and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI-EVA), Leipzig, Germany
- Wild Chimpanzee Foundation, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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Leeds A, Kakule D, Stalter L, Mbeke JK, Fawcett K. Group structure and individual relationships of sanctuary-living Grauer's gorillas (Gorilla beringei graueri). PLoS One 2024; 19:e0295561. [PMID: 38232054 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
The study of individual social relationships and group structure provides insights into a species' natural history and can inform management decisions for animals living in human care. The Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education (GRACE) center provides permanent sanctuary for a group of 14 Grauer's gorillas (Gorilla beringei graueri), a critically endangered and poorly studied subspecies of the genus gorilla, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We monitored the association patterns of the gorillas at GRACE over eight months and here describe their individual relationships and group structure via multiple social network statistics. The group was highly connected but associations between individuals were weak on average. Social network metrics describe that an adult female was the most gregarious and socially central individual within the group. In fact, adult females were the most gregarious and socially central on average. Group level association patterns were significantly correlated over the study period and across observation types, suggesting the group was socially stable during the eight month study period. The data collected in this study were done so by GRACE caregivers as part of their daily husbandry routine and provided important insights into this group's behavior, ultimately informing on their care, welfare and future release considerations. The methodological approaches implemented here are easily scalable to any primate sanctuary or care facility seeking to use data to inform husbandry and management procedures. Lastly, our study is the first social network analysis to be conducted on Grauer's gorillas and provides tentative insights into the behavior of this poorly studied subspecies. Though more research is needed to evaluate if the findings here are reflective of this subspecies' natural history or the idiosyncrasies of the group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin Leeds
- Animals, Science and Environment, Disney's Animal Kingdom®, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States of America
| | - Dalmas Kakule
- Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education Center, Kasugho, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Laura Stalter
- Animals, Science and Environment, Disney's Animal Kingdom®, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States of America
| | - Jackson K Mbeke
- Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education Center, Kasugho, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Katie Fawcett
- Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education Center, Kasugho, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
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Dialects in leaf-clipping and other leaf-modifying gestures between neighbouring communities of East African chimpanzees. Sci Rep 2023; 13:147. [PMID: 36604445 PMCID: PMC9814361 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-25814-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Dialects are a cultural property of animal communication previously described in the signals of several animal species. While dialects have predominantly been described in vocal signals, chimpanzee leaf-clipping and other 'leaf-modifying' gestures, used across chimpanzee and bonobo communities, have been suggested as a candidate for cultural variation in gestural communication. Here we combine direct observation with archaeological techniques to compare the form and use of leaf-modifying gestures in two neighbouring communities of East African chimpanzees. We found that while both communities used multiple forms, primarily within sexual solicitation, they showed a strong preference for a single, different gesture form. The observed variation in form preference between these neighbouring communities within the same context suggests that these differences are, at least in part, socially derived. Our results highlight an unexplored source of variation and flexibility in gestural communication, opening the door for future research to explore socially derived dialects in non-vocal communication.
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Badihi G, Bodden K, Zuberbühler K, Samuni L, Hobaiter C. Flexibility in the social structure of male chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) in the Budongo Forest, Uganda. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:220904. [PMID: 36177197 PMCID: PMC9515636 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.220904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Individuals of social species experience competitive costs and social benefits of group living. Substantial flexibility in humans' social structure and the combination of different types of social structure with fission-fusion dynamics allow us to live in extremely large groups-overcoming some of the costs of group living while capitalizing on the benefits. Non-human species also show a range of social strategies to deal with this trade-off. Chimpanzees are an archetypical fission-fusion species, using dynamic changes in day-to-day association to moderate the costs of within-group competition. Using 4 years of association data from two neighbouring communities of East African chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii), we describe an unexplored level of flexibility in chimpanzee social structure. We show that males from the larger Waibira community (N = 24-31) exhibited additional structural levels of semi-stable core-periphery society, while males from the smaller Sonso community (N = 10-13) did not. This novel core-periphery pattern adds to previous results describing alternative modular social structure in other large communities of chimpanzees. Our data support the hypothesis that chimpanzees can incorporate a range of strategies in addition to fission-fusion to overcome costs of social living, and that their social structures may be closer to that of modern humans than previously described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gal Badihi
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, South Street, St Andrews KY16 9JP, UK
| | - Kelsey Bodden
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, South Street, St Andrews KY16 9JP, UK
| | - Klaus Zuberbühler
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, South Street, St Andrews KY16 9JP, UK
- School of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
- Budongo Conservation Field Station, Masindi, Uganda
| | - Liran Samuni
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, South Street, St Andrews KY16 9JP, UK
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Catherine Hobaiter
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, South Street, St Andrews KY16 9JP, UK
- Budongo Conservation Field Station, Masindi, Uganda
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