The Relationship of Foraging Strategy and Social Organization in Western Lowland Gorillas

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This award will be used to continue a long-term study of western lowland gorillas in the Dzanga-Ndoki National Park, Central African Republic. Western lowland gorillas are particularly interesting because unlike the more studied herb-eating mountain gorillas, they consume substantial quantities of fruit, and this allows a comparative study of how differences in feeding ecology influence social organization. The long-term aim of the project is to make a comparative study of gorillas and chimpanzees at this study site. This research is significant because it supports an on-going research center (Mondika) for the study and conservation of western lowland gorillas and chimpanzees. This is important because there are no current studies where western lowland gorillas are habituated to human presence, and we therefore know little about them. Understanding the factors that influence social organization in African apes, humans closest relatives, should provide insight into factors which shaped social behavior in the earliest human ancestors.