Patterns of Technical Variation in Chimpanzee Termite Fishing Behavior in Mbam and Djerem National Park, Cameroon

Abstract

Chimpanzees exhibit considerable inter- and intra-community variation in cognitively complex tool use behaviors, often attributed to social, genetic, and environmental factors. Termite fishing is a well-documented chimpanzee tool-using behavior that has been the subject of comparative research exploring behavioral variation between chimpanzee communities. However, termite fishing in the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes ellioti) has been historically underrepresented due to a lack of habituated populations. In this study, we used remote-activated camera traps at several termite mounds for 3 years to study termite fishing near Ganga Research Station in central Cameroon. We aimed to (1) identify elemental variation in chimpanzee termite fishing techniques at Ganga, an understudied community of P. t. ellioti, and (2) compare termite fishing behaviors in the Ganga community among more well-studied chimpanzee communities. We found 46 different combinations of behavioral elements representing termite fishing techniques used by Ganga chimpanzees (n = 9) across five termite mounds. The average technique was between three and four elements long (x̄ = 3.673), and many chimpanzees had unique personal repertoires. Chimpanzees at Ganga shared the most behavioral similarities with two communities of savanna chimpanzees, Dindefelo and Kayan, and the nearby rainforest community of La Belgique in southern Cameroon. This behavioral similarity between Ganga chimpanzees, who inhabit a complex forest/savanna matrix, and two distant savanna-dwelling communities suggests similar environmental contexts contribute to termite fishing similarity. These results add to comparative studies of termite fishing behavior and demonstrate the utility of quantitative ethnographic methodology in exploring chimpanzee behavioral variation.