Posted on 06/22/2010 7:56:35 AM PDT by JoeProBono
Some gangs of chimpanzees beat their neighbors to death in bids to expand their turf, according to a new study.
While scientists have long known that chimps will kill each other on occasion, the finding shores up a long-held hypothesis that humans' closest living relatives sometimes turn to violence to annex valuable parcels of land.
Researchers observed predominantly male patrol groups sent out by a 150-strong chimp group at Ngogo in Kibale National Park in Uganda. The chimp gangs killed 21 of their neighbors between 1999 and 2008.
"Just fists and feet" were used in the attacks, study leader John Mitani, an anthropologist at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, said in an email from Uganda. "Multiple chimps pummel the victims with both [appendages]. I think the victims die from internal injuries.
"Victims are usually totally immobilized and don't really stand a chance of getting away," he added.
Chimpanzee Territory Expansion
The Ngogo chimps have added bits and pieces to their 11-square-mile (29-square-kilometer) territory over the years, Mitani said.
"The surprising thing about last summer, though, was how much new land they took over," he said. "It was a sizable chunk of territory."
The 2.5-square-mile (6.4-square-kilometer) summer land grab suggests the ongoing violence amounts to a turf war for access to food.
The Ngogo chimps have already begun feasting on Morus mesozygia, a valuable fruit tree found in the newly acquired territory, Mitani noted.
In addition, researchers suspect that there may be a second benefit for the encroaching chimp group.
"Females from the neighboring group whose territory has been annexed might move into the Ngogo community," added Mitani, explaining that female chimps generally leave the groups they were born into when they reach puberty.
With their newly acquired land, the Ngogo chimp group might be seen as a more tempting destination for emigrating females, because the group controls more resources.
"This hasn't happened yet, [but] it still could. And in the future, more female chimpanzees might immigrate into the Ngogo community because of this land grab," he said.
Chimp Gangs Offer Insight Into Ourselves?.....
Get your paws off me! You Damn dirty ape....!
I reject the term “chimp gangs” and prefer “undocumented simians” instead.
Big deal.
This happens in American cities, too.
(The above comment was in no way intended to be racist)
We call it the Detroit model.
Chimps are easily the most violent of all the ape species, with the possible exception of ourselves.
It was funny in the Planet of Apes movies; they had the chimps as gentle and peace loving, and the gorillas as violent and warlike. Exactly opposite of how it really is.
Good chimps gone bad
Capitalism's fault.
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Thanks JoeProBono. |
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