Why do the chimpanzees of the Taï Forest share meat? The value of bartering, begging and hunting

doi:10.1017/9781108674218.021

20 - Why do the chimpanzees of the Taï Forest share meat? The value of bartering, begging and hunting

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 November 2019

Cristina M. Gomes ,

Roger Mundry and

Christophe Boesch

Edited by

Christophe Boesch and

Roman Wittig

Edited in association with

Catherine Crockford ,

Linda Vigilant ,

Tobias Deschner and

Fabian Leendertz

Show author details

Christophe Boesch: Affiliation:
Max-Planck-Institut für Evolutionäre Anthropologie, Germany
Roman Wittig: Affiliation:
Max-Planck-Institut für Evolutionäre Anthropologie, Germany
Catherine Crockford: Affiliation:
Max-Planck-Institut für Evolutionäre Anthropologie, Germany
Linda Vigilant: Affiliation:
Max-Planck-Institut für Evolutionäre Anthropologie, Germany
Tobias Deschner: Affiliation:
Max-Planck-Institut für Evolutionäre Anthropologie, Germany
Fabian Leendertz: Affiliation:
Robert Koch-Institut, Germany

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Summary

Meat sharing is common in chimpanzees. While being well-studied, it is still unclear what drives meat owners to relinquish nutritional benefits in favour of group members. The topic is rich in theoretical models, with support for different hypotheses coming from various chimpanzee populations. Few studies have considered several alternative hypotheses simultaneously, which provides insight into how multiple mechanisms interact to enable meat sharing. We investigated whether Reciprocal Altruism, Sharing-under-pressure, Mutualism, or Costly Signalling can explain meat sharing in Taï chimpanzees. We found evidence that chimpanzees exchange meat for support in aggressive interactions, supporting Reciprocal Altruism. We found partial support for Mutualism, as individuals who caught the prey ate more than others, and hunters who begged were more likely to receive meat than others. Finally, we found that begging led to sharing, possibly supporting the Sharing-under-pressure hypothesis. Various mechanisms can lead to meat sharing; the prevalence of one mechanism over another might result from their ability to adapt to the specific environmental and social conditions of the population.

Keywords

Meat sharing Chimpanzees Reciprocity Sharing-under-pressure Mutualism Trade Pan troglodytes verus

Type: Chapter
Information: The Chimpanzees of the Taï Forest
40 Years of Research
, pp. 316 - 338

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108674218.021 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2019

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20 - Why do the chimpanzees of the Taï Forest share meat? The value of bartering, begging and hunting

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