Diet and Foraging in the Waibira Chimpanzee Community, Budongo Central Forest Reserve, Uganda

Bibliographic Data

ID19389595
AuthorsJakob Villioth (Living Primates Research Group University of Kent Canterbury UK), Joo Weon Lim (0000-0001-7483-3820, University of Kent), Jon Lim (Living Primates Research Group University of Kent Canterbury UK), Catherine Hobaiter (0000-0002-3893-0524, Wild Minds Lab, School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews St Andrews Scotland), Klaus Zuberbühler (0000-0001-8378-088X, Institute of Biology University of Neuchâtel Neuchâtel Switzerland), Nicholas E Newton‐Fisher (0000-0002-7657-2641, Living Primates Research Group University of Kent Canterbury UK, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume87
Issue12
Publication date2025-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Primatology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0275-2565 • E-ISSN: 1098-2345
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/ajp.70104
OpenAlexW4417298876
LanguageEN
References cited57

Foraging is a fundamental aspect of the behavioural ecology of any species. Chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes ) are generalist omnivores that inhabit a continuous range of forest environments. Accordingly, substantial differences in feeding ecology exist across chimpanzee sub‐species and populations. Despite a persistent importance for the role of ripe fruit, chimpanzee diets typically include a large variety of food types. While considerable data exist on the foraging behaviour and diets of chimpanzees, these are typically limited to studies of single communities in distinct populations. Previous studies in the Budongo forest, Uganda, have focused on the Sonso community; less is known of the foraging behaviour of the neighbouring Waibira community. Here, we present detailed descriptive data on diet, activity, and food availability from this community. These were collected between October 2016 and June 2017 from focal observations of ten adult males and nine adult females, phenological monitoring of 168 chimpanzee food trees, and 4 ha of botanical plots. These chimpanzees generally conformed to the view of this species as a ripe fruit specialist, but were notably less frugivorous than other study communities and showed a considerable reliance on young leaves, in particular the leaves of Celtis mildbraedii , and on the seeds of Cynometra alexandrii during the dry season. Dietary diversity was similar to that of the neighbouring Sonso community, and our results support the idea that significant folivory is a general foraging strategy for Budongo Forest chimpanzees

Feeding behavior · Foraging · Frugivore · Generalist and specialist species · Herbivore · Omnivore · Phenology · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology · Primate Behavior and Ecology · Wildlife Ecology and Conservation