Title |
Cases of maternal cannibalism in wild bonobos (Pan paniscus) from two different field sites, Wamba and Kokolopori, Democratic Republic of the Congo
|
---|---|
Published in |
Primates, October 2016
|
DOI | 10.1007/s10329-016-0582-7 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Nahoko Tokuyama, Deborah Lynn Moore, Kirsty Emma Graham, Albert Lokasola, Takeshi Furuichi |
Abstract |
Maternal cannibalism, whereby a mother consumes her own offspring, occurs in various animal taxa and is commonly explained by nutritional stress or environmental pressures. It is rare in nonhuman primates and is considered an aberrant behavior only observed under high-stress conditions. It was therefore surprising when, in the first reported case of cannibalism in wild bonobos, a mother consumed part of the dead infant at LuiKotale. Here we report two more cases of maternal cannibalism by wild bonobos at two different study sites, Wamba and Kokolopori. The dead infants' mothers participated in the cannibalism in both cases. At Kokolopori, although the mother did consume part of the carcass, it was held and shared by another dominant female. At Wamba, the mother was a dominant female within the community and was the primary consumer of the carcass. In both cases, cannibalism resembled other meat-eating events, with the dominant female controlling meat consumption. Infanticide was not observed in either case, but its occurrence could not be ruled out. Although rare, the occurrence of maternal cannibalism at three different study sites suggests that this may represent part of the behavioral repertoire of bonobos, rather than an aberrant behavior. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 14 | 13% |
Spain | 10 | 9% |
United States | 10 | 9% |
Brazil | 7 | 6% |
Japan | 4 | 4% |
Canada | 2 | 2% |
Australia | 2 | 2% |
Germany | 2 | 2% |
Mexico | 2 | 2% |
Other | 9 | 8% |
Unknown | 50 | 45% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 81 | 72% |
Scientists | 25 | 22% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 4 | 4% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 2 | 2% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
India | 1 | 2% |
Unknown | 61 | 98% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Master | 13 | 21% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 10 | 16% |
Researcher | 8 | 13% |
Student > Bachelor | 6 | 10% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 4 | 6% |
Other | 12 | 19% |
Unknown | 9 | 15% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 23 | 37% |
Environmental Science | 6 | 10% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 4 | 6% |
Psychology | 3 | 5% |
Social Sciences | 3 | 5% |
Other | 6 | 10% |
Unknown | 17 | 27% |