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An unusual incident of adoption in a wild chimpanzee ( Pan troglodytes ) population at Gombe National Park
Author(s) -
Wroblewski Emily E.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
american journal of primatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.988
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1098-2345
pISSN - 0275-2565
DOI - 10.1002/ajp.20582
Subject(s) - troglodytes , national park , primate , population , demography , pongidae , geography , ecology , biology , sociology
Allomothering and adoption are well documented across primate species. Multiple hypotheses have been proposed to explain the evolution of such behavior according to the costs and benefits to the caregiver, mother, and infant. Permanent adoptions and allomothering have been observed in chimpanzees, but they typically involve the infants' siblings or nulliparous females. Here, I report a unique incident of adoption where an infant was adopted by its grandmother without the death of its mother. I conclude by considering how the adoption may have benefited the grandmother, mother, and infant. Am. J. Primatol. 70:995–998, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.