Titan looking up into the trees overhead (Photo by David O’Bryan)

Lisa O’Bryan is in Gombe National Park in Tanzania, where Jane Goodall began the first studies of chimps in the wild. Lisa is in the forest to try to better understand the calls chimps make, to help discover just where the line is (or isn’t) between sounds and speech.

Though the chimps have been searching far and wide for any high quality food that might be available, all they have been turning up with is a mouthful of hard, bright green fruits. Thus it wasn’t surprising when one of the chimps went in pursuit of a more satisfying meal.

My focal target for the day was Titan, one of the adult male chimpanzees at Gombe National Park. After spending the morning crunching on unripe fruit with his group mates, Titan climbed higher on the ridge to try his luck solo. While perched on top of a dense sea of shrubs he suddenly dropped to the ground and wriggled underneath the vegetation. Casually coming to a stop at the base of a large tree he peered upwards through the dense ceiling of leaves.

This action didn’t catch our attention until we spied a troop of red colobus monkeys resting in the highest branches. Clearly his behavior caught their attention as well since they immediately began leaping through the treetops to safety. While the odds were clearly not in his favor, Titan pursued, slinking through the undergrowth below the fleeing troop.

Scrambling on top of a fallen tree to get a better view of the action, we saw the monkeys congregating in a nearby tree nervously scanning their environment. Suddenly, Titan’s huge form broke free of the vegetation below, setting the air a-buzz with flying primates. Titan immediately zeroed in on one of the smaller monkeys, hurtling through the branches and plunging back into the bushes below.

Titan enjoys the fruits of his labor while Fanni scores some scraps (Photo by Lisa O’Bryan)

Chema waits for scraps of meat to fall from the chimps feeding above her (Photo by Lisa O’Bryan)

Though he emerged a few minutes later empty-handed, he clearly wasn’t ready to give up. While climbing back into the tree he grew more brazen, making a grab for a pair of monkeys as they raced by. While one quickly fled, the other put up a fight, shaking branches and lunging at the provoking chimp before running off. Undeterred, Titan sauntered through the trees after the fleeing troop.

As the action continued into the next valley, we made a break for the trail leading down the steep ravine. Halfway down, chilling screeches broke out from around the stream bed, hastening our travel. As we skidded to a stop at the bottom of the gorge we saw what all the commotion was about. Perched high in a tree, Titan was holding the body of a young monkey. Now in the company of two females attracted by the commotion, Titan remained in the tree for the rest of the evening, savoring the best meal he has had in some time.

As the rainy season fades away, these hunts will likely increase in number, particularly once the chimps start traveling in larger parties. Until then, those bold enough (or hungry enough) to go it alone may be rewarded with a hearty meal to help them weather these lean months.

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A foot and knuckle print left in the sand by a chimp recently traveling along the shore of Lake Tanganyika

Lisa O’Bryan is in Gombe National Park in Tanzania, where Jane Goodall began the first studies of chimps in the wild. Lisa is in the forest to try to better understand the calls chimps make, to help discover just where the line is (or isn’t) between sounds and speech.

Recently, the chimps pulled a trick out of their sleeve that they often perform this time of year: they disappeared. Well, not literally, but they could just as well be vacationing in Zanzibar right now and I would be none the wiser.

The chimps were already fairly spread out across the park feeding in diffuse fields of budyenkende. Then, with the small orange fruits beginning to dwindle and no other species of fruit ready to take its place, they took their solitude to the next level. To avoid competition for what little high-quality food is available, each chimp retreated to its own corner of the park to go it alone.

Every once in awhile we spend a day in the forest without finding a suitable chimp to follow (e.g. an adult male we haven’t followed in the past week). However, in the past two weeks our failure rate has quadrupled. Often, we spend hours in the forest and don’t see or hear ANY chimps at all.

Dung beetles quickly roll away fresh droppings by a chimp moving through the area

Usually, we are able to go to vantage points to listen for the loud pant-hoot vocalizations chimps use to communicate long distances, but now, the forest is strangely quiet. Plus, since there are no reliable feeding areas to check in on, we don’t have much information to go on. So, we spend our days wandering through the forest looking for dark shapes in the vines and listening for the subtle sounds of shifting vegetation.

However, occasionally we get clues which can help us in our search. Fresh droppings, footprints, and discarded foods are all signs that a chimp was recently in the area. While reassuring that there are still chimps in the park, we are then faced with the challenge of figuring out in which direction and how far they may have gone. This is when footprints come in handy!

While we knew this time of year was coming, it is always amazing how easily these charismatic, boisterous animals disappear into the undergrowth. With only a few more weeks left in the field, it looks like the chimps are going to make us work extra hard for these last bits of data!

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Freud grabs a few fruits without missing a beat as he makes his way through the shrubs (Photo by Lisa O’Bryan)

Lisa O’Bryan is in Gombe National Park in Tanzania, where Jane Goodall began the first studies of chimps in the wild. Lisa is in the forests trying to better understand the calls chimps make, to help discover just where the line is (or isn’t) between sounds and speech.

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The chimps are on the move again as budyenkende (Monanthotaxis poggei) comes into season at Gombe National Park. This small orange fruit grows in vast fields covering most of the lower areas of forest bordering the beach. Thus, rather than arrive at one location where they may feed for an hour or so, the chimps are on the go as soon as they step into a patch. Grabbing a fruit here and a fruit there, they stuff as many into their mouths as they can while their cheeks expand in size. They only break now and again to press their wadge of fruit against their teeth before spitting out the pulp and seeds and starting again.

A wadge of budyenkende pulp and seeds (Photo by Lisa O’Bryan)

While racing through the shrubby vegetation behind them, I can’t help but picture all of the grab-n-go foods found in supermarkets nowadays. Freed from being tied down to one boring old tree, the chimps don’t have to miss out on exploring new areas of forest or seeing what other chimps are up just because they get a little hungry. However, just like our busy lifestyles, budyenkende season comes with some drawbacks. Always on the move, the chimps are using up calories nearly as quickly as they are taking them in. Furthermore, socialization is difficult and and often unwelcome. Not only are the chimps constantly weaving in and out among the bushes, they must give each other a wide berth to reduce competition for these valuable fruits.

The chimps scour the flat areas of the forest for the bright orange fruits (Photo by Lisa O’Bryan)

In fact, this is a slow time for recording the food-associated calls I am studying since they are usually produced when chimps come together to feed in one location, such as a large tree. Then again, the season offers great insight into the close connection between food and chimpanzee social structure and the role communication may play in this relationship. I expect that as the fruits begin to dwindle the chimps will return to a more relaxed lifestyle, but for the time being, they’ll be getting their food to-go as they race across the Gombe shoreline.

NEXT: Frodo: A Glimpse Into the Retirement of an Demonic Alpha Male

UPDATE: 4/15/2013

In a transcript released by the BBC in 2005, host Dilly Barlow interviewed Jane Goodall about her unique relationship with the fearsome chimpanzee, Frodo.

“Frodo singled me out, none of us know why, but from very early on he singled me out and he didn’t just push me over he would come back and then stamp on me again, maybe three times in a row, and sometimes drag me. He’s dragged other people, he’s stamped on other people but he has a special expression on his face for me, we’ve all noticed it, and we don’t know why,” said Jane.

Frodo also made news several years prior when he kidnapped and killed an infant living close by, shocking the world and earning him the title “the Demonic Ape”.

[Begin original post.]

Frodo in his younger years (Photo by Dr. Michael Wilson)

In 1997 Frodo’s reign of terror began as he usurped his older brother Freud’s position as alpha male of the chimps of Gombe.

Born into the distinguished F-family, source of 4 alpha males to date, Frodo was blessed with a hefty size and powerful demeanor. Weighing in as one of the largest males at Gombe, this physical advantage was not lost on him. During dominance displays he terrorized not only other chimps but also nearby humans, often forcing them to jump behind trees to avoid being knocked over. His boldness wasn’t restricted to the social realm. Frodo was notorious for his drive and ability to hunt, with a particular taste for red colobus monkeys. Thus, from 1997 to 2002, no primate at Gombe was immune to Frodo’s wrath.

However, since I did not first arrive at Gombe until 2009, my impression of this legendary chimp is entirely different. At the ripe old age of 37, over a decade since illness knocked him from the alpha position, it appears that time has taken its toll. The entire lower half of his back has gone grey and he has lost much of his bulk. Inhabiting the flatter areas of forest bordering the beach, he haunts camp almost daily when crossing between valleys. Once such a powerful political figure, he now appears largely uninterested in social interaction and spends nearly all of his time searching for food. Occasionally, when he does drop in on a party of chimps, he only stays long enough to soak up some grooming and grab opportunities to mate before wandering off on his own.

2009: Frodo sits alone on a log after moving off from the rest of the group (Photo by Lisa O’Bryan)

2012: Always the loner, Frodo contemplates his next move (Photo by Lisa O’Bryan)

While he is indeed one of the more mellow chimps I spend time with, sparks of his former self are still visible. Just yesterday he stared down my field assistant while passing menacingly close on the trail, and we recently observed three solo hunting attempts over the course of 24 hours (though regrettably none were successful).  Likewise, his lingering influence on other chimps is undeniable. A slow saunter with his hair standing on end can still send most chimps scurrying out of his way uttering pant-grunts of subordination. Be it the size of his still-impressive frame or frightful memories of the past, it appears Frodo will quietly live out the rest of his years in infamy.

Frodo enjoys some grooming by an enthusiastic Gimli (Photo by David O’Bryan)

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What is it like to follow chimpanzees in the wild? Relaxing then action-packed. Strenuous but peaceful. Habitual yet unpredictable. While no two days are ever alike, here is a glimpse into a “standard” day in the life of a chimpanzee researcher at Gombe National Park.

Dark clouds loom overhead as an Msiloti tree shows off its blossoms (Photo by Lisa O’Bryan)

Lisa O’Bryan is in Gombe National Park in Tanzania, where Jane Goodall began the first studies of chimps in the wild. Lisa is in the forests trying to better understand the calls chimps make, to help discover just where the line is (or isn’t) between sounds and speech.

With a crash of thunder and explosion of tiny yellow flowers, the rains have returned to Gombe National Park. It is a vision of Spring as many areas of the world celebrate Spring Break, though Tanzania and other equatorial regions technically don’t have this season. Rather than the four temperate seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter, their year is primarily divided into two: the wet and the dry seasons.

At Gombe, the wet season typically lasts from October through May with a brief reprieve from mid-December to February. I arrived at Gombe just as the “short rains” were lightening up, so I have been enjoying dry-season-like weather for the past two months. However, over the last week, the air has begun to cool, the humidity has seeped in, and the seal holding in the rains has begun to falter.

A flower bouquet dropped to the forest floor by chimps feeding in the trees above (Photo by Lisa O’Bryan)

Simultaneously, and virtually overnight, entire fields of Msiloti trees have burst into bloom. While the chimps have been nibbling the compact flower buds for several weeks now, the showers have delivered a superior treat of fluffy yellow blossoms. Currently, chimps across the park can be found eagerly clutching bright bouquets, munching the spinach-tasting flowers like cotton candy.

Despite the frequent downpours, soggy shoes and muddy clothing, research will continue as usual, though with some minor modifications. Ponchos will become regular attire, Tanzanian soccer cleats will aid navigation of the slick, steep slopes and waterproof notebooks will prevent precious data from washing away. Fortunately, on the cusp of the sometimes dreary “long rains”, flower petals falling like raindrops are brightening the darkening skies.

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The view of the southern coast of Gombe National Park was beautiful on our way to meet up with the venturesome chimps. (Photo by Lisa O’Bryan)

Lisa O’Bryan is in Gombe National Park in Tanzania, where Jane Goodall began the first studies of chimps in the wild. Lisa is in the forest to try to better understand the calls chimps make, to help discover just where the line is (or isn’t) between sounds and speech.

Gombe National Park’s rectangular strip of forest is inhabited by three adjacent communities of chimpanzees named (from north to south) Mitumba, Kasekela, and Kalande. While the Kasekela community is the largest and best-known of these populations, all three communities are regularly monitored.

Recently, we received a radio call from the southern rangers stating that three adult males had been seen, and despite their southerly location, they were members of the central Kasekela community. As my research targets adult Kasekela males, we immediately set off to see what these chimps were up to. After an hour-and-a-half trek due south along the beach and then into the forest we came upon a small party of chimps resting in the trees.

While food is typically more abundant in the northern regions due to greater amounts of rainfall, we found that these males had been attracted south by a plentiful crop of ripe Mpapa fruit (learn more about Mpapa). However, some may have had an ulterior motive as they were in the presence of a sexually receptive adult female, and the alpha male, Ferdinand, was nowhere to be seen. For the rest of the day the chimps ate like kings, and the locally-dominant Titan enjoyed privileged access to the alluring female.

Fudge scans the horizon from inside foreign territory before retreating to the safety of his northern homeland. (Photo by Lisa O’Bryan)

Despite the benefits of food and sex, traveling so far to the edge of the community can be highly dangerous, especially with only three adult males. Given sufficient numerical advantage, chimps will brutally attack and kill those from another community should they meet. However, since it is strongly believed that the southern community no longer has any adult males, we knew our chimps were safe (though it is unclear whether the chimps were as secure in this knowledge). Regardless, they continued to push south throughout the day, crossing well into official Kalande territory.

Finally, in the early evening, the chimps took a breather to survey their surroundings. After gazing across the unfamiliar horizon in the fading light of day, they did a distinct about-face and slowly began retracing their steps. Nesting in the safety of a nearby stream bed, they continued their northerly retreat in the days that followed until arriving back in the core of their home community. Here, I expect they will stay until the temptations of the south lure them back to the periphery.

NEXT: National Geographic Magazine Feature on Bonobos

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The distinctive hand-like leaves of Vitex fischeri (Photo by: Lisa O’Bryan)

Lisa O’Bryan is in Gombe National Park in Tanzania, where Jane Goodall began the first studies of chimps in the wild. Lisa will be heading into the forests to try to better understand the calls chimps make, to help discover just where the line is (or isn’t) between sounds and speech.

Mpapa (Vitex fischeri) season has begun at Gombe, and this means good news for both the chimps and my research. Mpapa is a species of tree with palmate (hand-like) leaves and small, round fruits that turn purplish-black when ripe. In previous weeks, no one food patch has been capable of satisfying the chimps for a substantial amount of time, so they (and I) have been traveling far and wide. However, with the arrival of mpapa, their pace is mercifully going to slow. A typical mpapa tree can hold at least 5 chimps, and they often grow in groves of multiple trees. That means that a single party of chimps may feed for an hour or more in one small area, not to mention rest and socialize afterwards on their full stomachs.

The small purple fruits causing all the excitement (Photo by: Lisa O’Bryan)

Not only does this offer a nice break from traveling, but also a clear view of chimpanzee food-associated calling behavior. These trees commonly elicit loud bouts of rough-grunts and pant-hoots, as the chimps scramble up the tree and begin to feed, which I can record with my microphone and recorder. Later on I will be able to compare these recordings to determine which factors (e.g. fruit abundance, hunger level, social context) contribute to differences in call production and acoustics. Ultimately, this will offer greater insight into the information other chimps can obtain from these calls and why they are produced in the first place. In the meantime, the chimps and I will be taking it (relatively) easy, reveling in the joy of mpapa season.

Click here to hear a recent bout of food-associated calls recorded as the chimps were arriving at an mpapa tree:
20130219 Food Calls Mpapa

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Enjoying a view of Lake Victoria during my travels to Gombe National Park. (Photo by: Lisa O’Bryan)

Lisa O’Bryan is in Gombe National Park in Tanzania, where Jane Goodall began the first studies of chimps in the wild. Lisa will be heading into the forests to try to better understand the calls chimps make, to help discover just where the line is (or isn’t) between sounds and speech.

A few months ago, I had a dream I was sitting alone in the middle of Gombe National Park in Tanzania. Actually, this isn’t that unusual for me as I have spent 9 months of my life doing just that. What was alarming about this dream was that I had been teleported back with no warning or preparation, simply torn from my life in the States and dropped in camp. I was distraught, left wondering how I would get by, until I woke up curled in my bed in Minneapolis. I rolled over and contentedly fell back to sleep with the comforts of home surrounding me.

However, when the dream returned again a few weeks ago, I found it harder to shake. That’s because this time when I awoke, I was squeezed between strangers somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean. I felt a sudden jolt of panic as I realized I WAS being transported back to Gombe, albeit within the realm of modern technology. However, as the fog of sleep began to clear, my weeks of preparation came back to me along with a flood of relief. I was not unprepared, I reminded myself. Nevertheless, I quickly reviewed my packing list to put my mind at rest.

I recounted the equipment I needed for my research first. I remembered packing my recorder and microphone, waterproof notebooks, field bags, water bottles, ponchos, flashlights, hiking boots, insect repellant, computer, and the video camera loaned from National Geographic. I breathed a sigh of relief. At least if I had forgotten all else I would be able to accomplish what I was going to Gombe to do: study chimpanzee vocal communication. However, without some other necessities it would be a long five months. I continued reviewing other essentials. Shampoo and conditioner (check), power bars (check), multivitamins, antimalarial drugs, sunscreen, my Kindle, Sour Patch Kids (check). All seemed accounted for.

I nestled into my seat and turned my attention back to the movie. Everything was going to be OK. In contrast to my dream I was prepared, and, with two field seasons under my belt, more so than I have ever been before.

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