Abstract
Local information was collected on the ecology of pygmy chimpanzees in the Lac Tumba Region, Zaire. Population density very small; habitat, secondary swamp forest with occasional trespass of ‘esobe’ grassland; locomotion, quadrupedal walking on the ground; diet, primarily frugivorous and vegetarian, but insects, honey and fish consumed. Many kinds of cultivated plants also eaten; sleeping nest built in a tree in the same fashion as ordinary chimpanzees; group size fairly large, from 15–20 to 40 head; human persecution very severe. It proved possible to make a field study of the species in this region.
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References
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The research was financially supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo.
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Nishida, T. Preliminary information of the pygmy chimpanzees (Pan paniscus) of the Congo basin. Primates 13, 415–425 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01793661
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01793661