Abstract
The chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) of western Tanzania is found in one of the driest habitats of this species where openland vegetation, especially theBrachystegia, Julbernardia, andIsoberlinia woodlands, is dominant, while the evergreen or semi-evergreen rain forests (the riverine forests) are less developed, being confined to river basins. The chimpanzee seems to adapt to this dry country better than any of the other forest primates living there. The results of the study in Filabanga indicate that there are some methods of adaptation which enable the chimpanzee to survive in this harsh environment.
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1.
The chimpanzee uses openland vegetation to a comparatively large extent. TheBrachystegia bussei woodland especially, is utilized as a habitual nesting place and doubtless as an important feeding place.
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2.
In the Masito Hills, which comprises Filabanga, the localities where food is abundant change seasonally. The chimpanzees migrate over a wide range, estimated to be between 200 and 400 square kilometers, from an area where food has become scarce to an area where food is plentiful.
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3.
Areas where food is plentiful are shared by two or more unit groups of chimpanzee.
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4.
The grouping patterns of the chimpanzee enable it to utilize both the areas where food is scarce and those where it is abundant.
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Kano, T. The chimpanzee of Filabanga, western Tanzania. Primates 12, 229–246 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01730413
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01730413