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Chimpanzee mothers at Bossou, Guinea carry the mummified remains of their dead infants

Biro, Dora, Humle, Tatyana, Koops, Kathelijne, Sousa, Claudia, Hayashi, Misato, Matsuzawa, Tetsuro (2010) Chimpanzee mothers at Bossou, Guinea carry the mummified remains of their dead infants. Current Biology, 20 (8). R351-R352. ISSN 0960-9822. (doi:10.1016/j.cub.2010.02.031) (Access to this publication is currently restricted. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:38027)

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2010.02.031

Abstract

The forests surrounding Bossou, Guinea, are home to a small, semi-isolated chimpanzee community studied for over three decades [1]. In 1992, Matsuzawa [2] reported the death of a 2.5-year-old chimpanzee (Jokro) at Bossou from a respiratory illness. The infant's mother (Jire) carried the corpse, mummified in the weeks following death, for at least 27 days. She exhibited extensive care of the body, grooming it regularly, sharing her day- and night-nests with it, and showing distress whenever they became separated. The carrying of infants' corpses has been reported from a number of primate species, both in captivity and the wild [3-7] - albeit usually lasting a few days only - suggesting a phylogenetic continuity for a behavior that is poignant testament to the close mother-infant bond which extends across different primate taxa. In this report we recount two further infant deaths at Bossou, observed over a decade after the original episode but with striking similarities.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1016/j.cub.2010.02.031
Uncontrolled keywords: animal, animal behavior, death, female, Guinea, maternal behavior, mother, Pan troglodytes, physiology, short survey, social behavior, suckling, Animals, Animals, Suckling, Behavior, Animal, Death, Female, Guinea, Maternal Behavior, Mothers, Pan troglodytes, Social Behavior, Pan, Primates
Subjects: Q Science > QH Natural history
Q Science > QL Zoology
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Anthropology and Conservation
Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Anthropology and Conservation > DICE (Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology)
Depositing User: Tatyana Humle
Date Deposited: 04 Apr 2014 14:10 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Nov 2021 10:14 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/38027 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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