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Geochemistry and clay mineralogy of termite mound soil and the role of geophagy in chimpanzees of the Mahale Mountains, Tanzania

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Abstract

Earth from a termite mound in the Mahale Mountains National Park, Tanzania, eaten by chimpanzees, was analyzed to determine the possible stimulus, or stimuli, for geophagy. The termite mound sample contains relatively high aluminum (10.0%), iron (3.0%), and sodium (0.5%). This correlates well with the mineralogy of the clay (<2 µm) fraction, which is high in metahalloysite, a 1:1 (Si:Al=1:1) clay mineral similar in chemical composition to the clay mineral kaolinite, and smectite (montmorillonite), which is a 2:1 expandable clay mineral. The combination of metahalloysite and smectite produces a substance much like the pharmaceutical Kaopectate™ widely used by humans as an anti-diarrheal agent. These analyses and preliminary observations linking geophagy with instances of severe diarrhea, and other signs of gastrointestinal upset in the Mahale chimpanzees, suggest that one function for the ingestion of this substance by chimpanzees may be to help provide temporary relief from gastrointestinal ailments. Further detailed investigations into the relationship between health and geophagy should provide important insights into the diverse roles of this behavior as a form of self-medication.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Atkinson College, Geomorphology & Pedology Laboratory, York University, 4700 Keele Street, M3J 1P3, North York, Ontario, Canada

    William C. Mahaney

  2. Slowpoke Reactor Facility & Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, M5S 1A4, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    R. G. V. Hancock & Susan Aufreiter

  3. Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, 606-01, Kyoto, Japan

    Michael A. Huffman

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  1. William C. Mahaney
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  2. R. G. V. Hancock
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  3. Susan Aufreiter
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  4. Michael A. Huffman
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Mahaney, W.C., Hancock, R.G.V., Aufreiter, S. et al. Geochemistry and clay mineralogy of termite mound soil and the role of geophagy in chimpanzees of the Mahale Mountains, Tanzania. Primates 37, 121–134 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02381400

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02381400

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