Jill D Pruetz
Biographic Data
| ID | 83441 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Jill D Pruetz |
| GIVEN NAMES | Jill D |
| FAMILY NAME | Pruetz |
| SIGNATURE | PRUETZ J D |
| AFFILIATIONS | Iowa State University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-9151-8571 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 52 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 327 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 52 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1993 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 10 |
Genital Wounding in Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): Targeted Attacks or Happenstance
Palaeoanthropology and the study of pre-adult fossil remains
The workshop advanced efforts to understand human evolution, particularly the selective pressures shaping patterns of growth and maturity across a broad range of hominin species
The nutritional quality of male chimpanzee diets in a semiarid savanna
Working and impacting local communities as establishing the start of a conservation initiative: American Society of Primatology conservation committee webinar
Nonhuman primate species currently face human‐induced pressures and will continue to face them in the modern landscape. These pressures require conservation projects in primate habitat countries to aid in protection, preservation, and conservation. Though there are several examples of primate conservation projects, starting up an initiative can be a daunting task. The American Society of Primatology (ASP) Conservation Committee hosted a video web…
Addressing the growing fossil record of subadult hominins by reaching across disciplines
The field of paleoanthropology lacks a coherent methodology to study ontogeny in extinct hominins. During the past two decades in this field, several factors have served as an impetus to better define this subfield of study within human evolution. First is the increased recovery of immature hominin remains that span multiple genera-Australopithecus, Paranthropus, and Homo
Indirect evidence of tool-assisted hunting in the Bantan chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) community in southeastern Senegal savanna-woodlands
Chimpanzees use tools extensively, but tool-assisted hunting has been reported at only two sites thus far. Systematic tool-assisted hunting has only been recorded at the Fongoli site in Senegal, where hundreds of cases have been recorded of chimpanzees using tools to hunt bushbaby (Galago senegalensis) prey. Here, we report a putative case of tool-assisted hunting at the Bantan study site in southeastern Senegal, based on indirect evidence of too…
Investigating foundations for hominin fire exploitation: Savanna-dwelling chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) in fire-altered landscapes
Occam’s razor revisited: Guenon species morphology supports evidence for an African influence in Bronze Age Aegean fresco primate iconography from Akrotiri, Thera
Western chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes verus ) access a nutritionally balanced, high energy, and abundant food, baobab ( Adansonia digitata ) fruit, with extractive foraging and reingestion
Intrinsic to several hypotheses explaining the evolution of foraging behavior complexity, such as proto‐tool use, is the assumption that more complex ingestive behaviors are adaptations allowing individuals to access difficult to procure but nutritionally or energetically rewarding foods. However, nutritional approaches to understanding this complexity have been underutilized. The goal of this study was to evaluate potential nutritional determina…
Chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes ) in savanna landscapes
Chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes ) are the only great apes that inhabit hot, dry, and open savannas. We review the environmental pressures of savannas on chimpanzees, such as food and water scarcity, and the evidence for chimpanzees' behavioral responses to these landscapes. In our analysis, savannas were generally associated with low chimpanzee population densities and large home ranges. In addition, thermoregulatory behaviors that likely reduce hy…
Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) Density and Environmental Gradients at Their Biogeographical Range Edge
Sex Bias and Social Influences on Savanna Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) Nest Building Behavior
Many primates show sex differences in behavior, particularly social behavior, but also tool use for extractive foraging. All great apes learn to build a supportive structure for sleep. Whether sex differences exist in building, as in extractive foraging, is unknown, and little is known about how building skills develop and vary between individuals in the wild. We therefore aimed to describe the nesting behavior of savanna chimpanzees ( Pan troglo…
Mothers Frequent Caves: Lactation Affects Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) Cave Use in Southeastern Senegal
Stable isotope variation in savanna chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes verus ) indicate avoidance of energetic challenges through dietary compensation at the limits of the range
Objectives Food scarcity is proposed to be a limitation to chimpanzees at the limits of their range; however, such a constraint has never been investigated in this context. We investigated patterns of δ 13 C and δ 15 N variation along a latitudinal gradient at the northwestern West African chimpanzee ( Pan troglodytes verus ) range limit with the expectation that isotope ratios of chimpanzees at the range limit will indicate different dietary str…
Savanna chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) nesting ecology at Bagnomba (Kedougou, Senegal)
Nocturnal behavior by a diurnal ape, the West African chimpanzee ( Pan troglodytes verus ), in a savanna environment at Fongoli, Senegal
OBJECTIVES: I report on the nocturnal behavior of Fongoli chimpanzees in a savanna mosaic during different seasons and lunar phases and test the hypothesis that hot daytime temperatures influence activity at night. I predicted that apes would be more active at night during periods of greater lunar illuminosity given diurnal primates' lack of visual specializations for low-light conditions and in dry season months when water scarcity exacerbated h…
Savanna chimpanzees adjust sleeping nest architecture in response to local weather conditions
OBJECTIVES: Great ape nests are hypothesized to aid safe, secure sleep via providing thermoregulation or protection from predators and vectors. We aimed to describe and investigate variation in chimpanzee nest architecture across two populations in response to local weather conditions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We experimentally tested whether nests provide insulation by measuring heat loss within and outside nests, and took detailed measurements of…
The costs of living at the edge: Seasonal stress in wild savanna-dwelling chimpanzees
Intragroup Lethal Aggression in West African Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus): Inferred Killing of a Former Alpha Male at Fongoli, Senegal
Feeding in fear? How adult male western chimpanzees ( P an troglodytes verus ) adjust to predation and savanna habitat pressures
OBJECTIVES: We evaluated risk-sensitive foraging in adult male western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) occupying a savanna environment at Fongoli, Senegal. The aim of this study was to determine how the risks of predation and heat stress influenced their behavior while feeding on a key food, fruit of the baobab tree (Adansonia digitata). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Proximity of fruiting baobab trees to anthropogenic landmarks were compared to food…
Savanna Chimpanzees at Fongoli, Senegal, Navigate a Fire Landscape
Savanna chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) at Fongoli, Senegal, appear to be able to predict the "behavior" of wildfires of various intensities. Although most wildfires are avoided, even the most intense fires are met with relative calm and seemingly calculated movement by apes in this arid, hot, and open environment. In addition to reviewing instances of such behavior collected during the course of the Fongoli study, we also report chimpanzees'…
Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) and their mammalian sympatriates: Mt. Assirik, Niokolo-Koba National Park, Senegal
Lethal aggression in Pan is better explained by adaptive strategies than human impacts
Giving the Forest Eyes: The Benefits of Using Camera Traps to Study Unhabituated Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) in Southeastern Senegal
Do Chimpanzee Nests Serve an Anti‐Predatory Function
Sleep is a vulnerable state for animals as it compromises the ability to detect predators. The evolution of shelter construction in the great apes may have been a solution to the trade-off between restorative sleep and predation-risk, which allowed a large bodied ape to sleep recumbent in a safe, comfortable spot. In this article we review the evidence of predator pressure on great apes and specifically investigate the potential influence of pred…
Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) Behavioral Responses to Stresses Associated with Living in a Savannah-Mosaic Environment: Implications for Hominin Adaptations to Open Habitats
Do "savanna" chimpanzees consume C4 resources
Insectivory of savanna chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes verus ) at Fongoli, Senegal
Little is known about the behavior of chimpanzees living in savanna‐woodlands, although they are of particular interest to anthropologists for the insight they can provide regarding the ecological pressures affecting early hominins living in similar habitats. Fongoli, Senegal, is the first site where savanna chimpanzees have been habituated for observational data collection and is the hottest and driest site where such observation of chimpanzees …
Savanna Chimpanzees at Fongoli, Senegal, Navigate a Fire Landscape
Savanna chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) at Fongoli, Senegal, appear to be able to predict the "behavior" of wildfires of various intensities. Although most wildfires are avoided, even the most intense fires are met with relative calm and seemingly calculated movement by apes in this arid, hot, and open environment. In addition to reviewing instances of such behavior collected during the course of the Fongoli study, we also report chimpanzees'…
The costs of living at the edge: Seasonal stress in wild savanna-dwelling chimpanzees
Positional behavior in moustached tamarin monkeys: Effects of Habitat on Locomotor Variability and Locomotor Stability
Brief communication: Reaction to fire by savanna chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes verus ) at Fongoli, Senegal: Conceptualization of “fire behavior” and the case for a chimpanzee model
The use and control of fire are uniquely human traits thought to have come about fairly late in the evolution of our lineage, and they are hypothesized to correlate with an increase in intellectual complexity. Given the relatively sophisticated cognitive abilities yet small brain size of living apes compared to humans and even early hominins, observations of wild chimpanzees' reactions to naturally occurring fire can help inform hypotheses about …
Differences Between Vervets (Cercopithecus aethiops) and Patas Monkeys (Erythrocebus patas) in Agonistic Interactions Between Adult Females
Feeding in fear? How adult male western chimpanzees ( P an troglodytes verus ) adjust to predation and savanna habitat pressures
OBJECTIVES: We evaluated risk-sensitive foraging in adult male western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) occupying a savanna environment at Fongoli, Senegal. The aim of this study was to determine how the risks of predation and heat stress influenced their behavior while feeding on a key food, fruit of the baobab tree (Adansonia digitata). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Proximity of fruiting baobab trees to anthropogenic landmarks were compared to food…
Intragroup Lethal Aggression in West African Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus): Inferred Killing of a Former Alpha Male at Fongoli, Senegal
Reconstruction of periodicity of repetitive linear enamel hypoplasia from perikymata counts on imbricational enamel among dry‐adapted chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes verus ) from Fongoli, Senegal
Periodicity of repetitive linear enamel hypoplasia (rLEH) in apes from high latitudes with single wet and dry seasons annually has not been described. We reconstruct periodicity and duration of rLEH in canine teeth from three recently deceased chimpanzees from Fongoli, Senegal with a marked seven‐month dry season. High‐resolution dental molds were taken in the field for magnified imaging with digital microscopy. Photomontages allowed counting of …
Nocturnal behavior by a diurnal ape, the West African chimpanzee ( Pan troglodytes verus ), in a savanna environment at Fongoli, Senegal
OBJECTIVES: I report on the nocturnal behavior of Fongoli chimpanzees in a savanna mosaic during different seasons and lunar phases and test the hypothesis that hot daytime temperatures influence activity at night. I predicted that apes would be more active at night during periods of greater lunar illuminosity given diurnal primates' lack of visual specializations for low-light conditions and in dry season months when water scarcity exacerbated h…
Giving the Forest Eyes: The Benefits of Using Camera Traps to Study Unhabituated Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) in Southeastern Senegal
Termite fishing laterality in the fongoli savanna chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes verus ): Further evidence of a left hand preference
Whether nonhuman primates show population‐level handedness is a topic of much scientific debate. A previous study of handedness for termite fishing reported population‐level left handedness in the chimpanzees from Gombe National Park, Tanzania. In the current study, we examined whether similar hand preferences were evident in a savanna‐dwelling chimpanzee population with regards to termite fishing. Hand preference data were collected for 27 chimp…
Addressing the growing fossil record of subadult hominins by reaching across disciplines
The field of paleoanthropology lacks a coherent methodology to study ontogeny in extinct hominins. During the past two decades in this field, several factors have served as an impetus to better define this subfield of study within human evolution. First is the increased recovery of immature hominin remains that span multiple genera-Australopithecus, Paranthropus, and Homo
Stable isotope variation in savanna chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes verus ) indicate avoidance of energetic challenges through dietary compensation at the limits of the range
Objectives Food scarcity is proposed to be a limitation to chimpanzees at the limits of their range; however, such a constraint has never been investigated in this context. We investigated patterns of δ 13 C and δ 15 N variation along a latitudinal gradient at the northwestern West African chimpanzee ( Pan troglodytes verus ) range limit with the expectation that isotope ratios of chimpanzees at the range limit will indicate different dietary str…
Savanna chimpanzees adjust sleeping nest architecture in response to local weather conditions
OBJECTIVES: Great ape nests are hypothesized to aid safe, secure sleep via providing thermoregulation or protection from predators and vectors. We aimed to describe and investigate variation in chimpanzee nest architecture across two populations in response to local weather conditions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We experimentally tested whether nests provide insulation by measuring heat loss within and outside nests, and took detailed measurements of…
Seed Reingestion in Savannah Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) at Fongoli, Senegal
Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) Density and Environmental Gradients at Their Biogeographical Range Edge
Investigating foundations for hominin fire exploitation: Savanna-dwelling chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) in fire-altered landscapes
Rank Differences in Ecological Behavior: A Comparative Study of Patas Monkeys (Erythrocebus patas) and Vervets (Cercopithecus aethiops)
Palaeoanthropology and the study of pre-adult fossil remains
The workshop advanced efforts to understand human evolution, particularly the selective pressures shaping patterns of growth and maturity across a broad range of hominin species
Sex Bias and Social Influences on Savanna Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) Nest Building Behavior
Many primates show sex differences in behavior, particularly social behavior, but also tool use for extractive foraging. All great apes learn to build a supportive structure for sleep. Whether sex differences exist in building, as in extractive foraging, is unknown, and little is known about how building skills develop and vary between individuals in the wild. We therefore aimed to describe the nesting behavior of savanna chimpanzees ( Pan troglo…
Mothers Frequent Caves: Lactation Affects Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) Cave Use in Southeastern Senegal
Patterns of range use, range defense, and intergroup spacing in moustached tamarin monkeys (Saguinus mystax)
Demographic and reproductive patterns in moustached tamarin monkeys ( Saguinus mystax ): Implications for reconstructing platyrrhine mating systems
In this paper we address a series of questions concerning reproductive opportunities, kinship, dispersal, and mating patterns in free‐ranging moustached tamarin monkeys ( Saguinus mystax ). Between 1980 and 1990 information on group size, composition, and migration patterns was collected on marked groups of moustached tamarins inhabiting Padre Isla, an island in the Amazon Basin of northeastern Peru. In 1990, 86% of 114 animals residing in 16 soc…
Positional behavior in moustached tamarin monkeys: Effects of Habitat on Locomotor Variability and Locomotor Stability
Social and seasonal influences on reproductive biology in male moustached tamarins (Saguinus mystax)
In several primate taxa there is evidence that the social and physical environment can exert a significant effect on reproductive behavior and biology. In this paper we examine social and physiological factors influencing group composition and reproduction in free-ranging moustached tamarin monkeys (Saguinus mystax mystax). This species is characterized by cooperative care of the young and a breeding system that includes both polyandrous and poly…
Differences Between Vervets (Cercopithecus aethiops) and Patas Monkeys (Erythrocebus patas) in Agonistic Interactions Between Adult Females
Locomotor activity differences between sympatric patas monkeys (Erythrocebus patas) and vervet monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops): Implications for the evolution of long hindlimb length inHomo
Homo erectus is notable for its taller stature and longer lower limbs relative to earlier hominids, but the selective pressures favoring such long limbs are unclear. Among anthropoid primates, patas monkeys (Erythrocebus patas) and extant hominids share several extreme characteristics involved with foraging and movement, including the relatively longest lower limb proportions, longest daily travel distances and largest home ranges for their body …
Comparing measures of travel distances in primates: Methodological considerations and socioecological implications
Travel costs can influence numerous aspects of the lives of primates, including net energy balance (and therefore reproductive success of females) and maximum group size. Despite their potential impact, there has been no systematic comparison of different measures of travel distance. We compared three measures of travel distance in 30 min (actual distance of individuals, straight-line distance of individuals, and straight-line distance of groups)…
Rank Differences in Ecological Behavior: A Comparative Study of Patas Monkeys (Erythrocebus patas) and Vervets (Cercopithecus aethiops)
Primate Communities . John G. Fleagle , Charles Janson , Kaye E. Reed
Survey of Savanna Chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes verus ) in Southeastern Sénégal
A survey of the western subspecies of chimpanzee ( Pan troglodytes verus ) was conducted from 1 February to 9 April 2000 in Sénégal, West Africa, by the Miami Assirik Pan Project (MAPP). In addition to the Assirik area of the Parc National du Niokolo Koba (PNNK), areas south and east of the park were surveyed. Nests made by chimpanzees were used to estimate chimpanzee distribution and densities. Within the PNNK, chimpanzees were estimated to occu…
Chimpanzee and Red Colobus: The Ecology of Predator and Prey . Craig B. Stanford
Genotyping aids field study of unhabituated wild chimpanzees
Prolonged habituation times for wild great apes delay the collection of behavioral and environmental data, sometimes for years. However, genotyping of noninvasively collected feces can provide useful socioecological information in the meantime. We tested this premise on an unhabituated wild population of western chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes verus ) at Mont Assirik, Senegal. Genotyping yielded information on kinship, group size, party size and co…
Do "savanna" chimpanzees consume C4 resources
Evidence of cave use by savanna chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) at Fongoli, Senegal: Implications for thermoregulatory behavior
Savanna Chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes verus, Hunt with Tools
Do chimpanzees build comfortable nests
Nests built by wild chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes verus ) were studied at the Fongoli research site in southeastern Senegal from January 2004–May 2004 to investigate the role of comfort in nest building behavior by relating measures of nest comfort and building effort. Nest comfort across zones of the nest surface were compared with construction effort for 25 nests. Several variables of nest comfort were assessed: (1) physical discomfort, (2) vis…
Ecological context of savanna chimpanzee ( Pan troglodytes verus ) termite fishing at Fongoli, Senegal
Chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes verus ) at Fongoli, Senegal, consume termites year‐round. Understanding the ecological context behind this behavior is especially important in light of the environmental conditions at Fongoli. This mosaic savanna habitat is one of the hottest and driest sites where chimpanzees have been studied. Two genera and four species of termites were found in association with tools used by chimpanzees in a sample of 124 termite…
Arboreal nesting as anti‐predator adaptation by savanna chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes verus ) in southeastern Senegal
Chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes ) make nests for resting and sleeping, which is unusual for anthropoid primates but common to all great apes. Arboreal nesting has been linked to predation pressure, but few studies have tested the adaptive nature of this behavior. We collected data at two chimpanzee study sites in southeastern Senegal that differed in predator presence to test the hypothesis that elevated sleeping platforms are adaptations for preda…
Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) Behavioral Responses to Stresses Associated with Living in a Savannah-Mosaic Environment: Implications for Hominin Adaptations to Open Habitats
Brief communication: Reaction to fire by savanna chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes verus ) at Fongoli, Senegal: Conceptualization of “fire behavior” and the case for a chimpanzee model
The use and control of fire are uniquely human traits thought to have come about fairly late in the evolution of our lineage, and they are hypothesized to correlate with an increase in intellectual complexity. Given the relatively sophisticated cognitive abilities yet small brain size of living apes compared to humans and even early hominins, observations of wild chimpanzees' reactions to naturally occurring fire can help inform hypotheses about …
Patterns of gastro‐intestinal parasites and commensals as an index of population and ecosystem health: The case of sympatric western chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes verus ) and guinea baboons ( Papio ha…
The exponential decline of great apes over the past 50 years has resulted in an urgent need for data to inform population viability assessment and conservation strategies. Health monitoring of remaining ape populations is an important component of this process. In support of this effort, we examined endoparasitic and commensal prevalence and richness as proxies of population health for western chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes verus ) and sympatric g…
Seed Reingestion in Savannah Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) at Fongoli, Senegal
Insectivory of savanna chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes verus ) at Fongoli, Senegal
Little is known about the behavior of chimpanzees living in savanna‐woodlands, although they are of particular interest to anthropologists for the insight they can provide regarding the ecological pressures affecting early hominins living in similar habitats. Fongoli, Senegal, is the first site where savanna chimpanzees have been habituated for observational data collection and is the hottest and driest site where such observation of chimpanzees …
Why I Am Not a Scientist: Anthropology and Modern Knowledge by Jonathan Marks
Plant-food and tool transfer among savanna chimpanzees at Fongoli, Senegal
Biology (50 works) · Primate Behavior and Ecology (48 works) · Ecology (35 works) · Troglodytes (30 works) · Geography (27 works) · Ecology (24 works) · Animal Vocal Communication and Behavior (23 works) · Zoology (20 works) · Habitat (19 works) · Wildlife Ecology and Conservation (16 works)