West Side Story: Regional Inter‐Troop Variation in Baboon Bark‐Stripping at Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique

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dc.catalogadorjlo
dc.contributor.authorBiro, Dora
dc.contributor.authorMuschinski, Jana
dc.contributor.authorHammond, Philippa
dc.contributor.authorBobe, René
dc.contributor.authorBamford, Marion K.
dc.contributor.authorCapelli, Cristian
dc.contributor.authorD’Oliveira Coelho, João
dc.contributor.authorFarassi, Rassina
dc.contributor.authorLüdecke, Tina
dc.contributor.authorMartínez Latrach, Felipe
dc.contributor.authorMathe, Jacinto
dc.contributor.authorFerreira Silva, Maria Joana
dc.contributor.authorCarvalho, Susana
dc.date.accessioned2025-05-08T14:38:46Z
dc.date.available2025-05-08T14:38:46Z
dc.date.issued2025
dc.description.abstractObjectives: Baboons possess sophisticated physical and social cognitive abilities; hence, the lack of evidence to date of large-scale behavioral variation in these primates is puzzling. Here we studied a candidate for such variation-the stripping of bark from Acacia robusta trees for consumption of the sap and soft tissue underneath-in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique.Materials and methods: We surveyed an area inhabited by ~60 troops of chacma baboons, recording the availability and characteristics of the target trees, as well as the presence or absence of bark-stripping at 45 habitat plots distributed across a grid covering an area of ~300 km2.Results: Camera traps confirmed the presence of baboons at all habitat plots, and we identified regional clumping in the distribution of the behavior, a pattern consistent across two consecutive years. Proportion and mean height/width of A. robusta did not predict whether bark-stripping behavior was present at a given site, nor did broader ecological variables such as habitat type and distance to the nearest water source. However, stripping sites had significantly higher numbers of A. robusta than non-stripping sites, and within a given bark-stripping site, baboons preferred to strip taller and wider trees among those available.Discussion: The prominent geographical clustering we uncovered may have been driven by opportunity (i.e., the prevalence of A. robusta at a given site), but is also consistent with a possible (non-mutually exclusive) cultural interpretation. We propose avenues for future research on Gorongosa's baboons to better quantify the relative contributions of ecology, genetics, and social learning to the prevalence of bark stripping. We also briefly consider the potential relevance of baboon bark stripping to elucidating early hominin foraging strategies.
dc.fuente.origenORCID
dc.identifier.doi10.1002/ajpa.70057
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.70057
dc.identifier.urihttps://repositorio.uc.cl/handle/11534/104082
dc.information.autorucEscuela de Antropología; Martínez Latrach, Felipe; 0000-0003-0650-4448; 200652
dc.language.isoen
dc.nota.accesocontenido parcial
dc.revistaAmerican Journal of Biological Anthropology
dc.rightsacceso restringido
dc.subjectBehavioral variation
dc.subjectChacma baboon
dc.subjectHabitat survey
dc.subjectNon‐technological material traces
dc.subject.ddc570
dc.subject.deweyBiologíaes_ES
dc.titleWest Side Story: Regional Inter‐Troop Variation in Baboon Bark‐Stripping at Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique
dc.typeartículo
dc.volumen187
sipa.codpersvinculados200652
sipa.trazabilidadORCID;2025-05-07
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