Abstract
Wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) produce low-frequency sounds by hitting the buttresses and/or trunks of trees. This “buttress drumming” occurs in discrete bouts that may be integrated into the phrase sequence of the chimpanzee’s long-distance vocalization, the “pant hoot.” The aim of this study was to investigate whether regional variation exists in the drumming behavior of male chimpanzees from Kibale National Park (Kanyawara community), Uganda, and Taï National Park, Ivory Coast. Recordings were made during a 6-month field season at Taï in 1990, and a 12-month field season at Kanyawara in 1996–1997. Acoustic analysis revealed the following: (1) Kanyawara males drummed significantly less frequently in conjunction with a pant hoot or hoot than did Taï males; (2) drumming bouts by Kanyawara males included significantly fewer beats, and were significantly shorter in duration, than those of Taï males; these differences disappeared when only those bouts produced in conjunction with a call were compared; (3) when Kanyawara chimpanzees did call and drum together, they tended to integrate drumming into the vocalization at a later point than did Taï males; and (4) individual differences in the temporal patterning of drumming bouts were not apparent for Kanyawara males, whereas a previous analysis revealed individual differences among Taï males.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Clark Arcadi A (1996) Phrase structure of wild chimpanzee pant hoots: patterns of production and interpopulation variability. Am J Primatol 39:159–178
Clark Arcadi A, Robert D, Boesch C (1998) Buttress drumming by wild chimpanzees: temporal patterning, phrase integration into loud calls, and preliminary evidence for individual distinctiveness. Primates 39:503–516
Janik VM, Slater PJB (2000) The different roles of social learning in vocal communication. Anim Behav 60:1–11
Kroodsma DE (1996) Ecology of passerine song development. In: Kroodsma DE, Miller EH (eds) Ecology and evolution of acoustic communication in birds. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, pp 3–19
Marler P (1990) Song learning: the interface between behaviour and neuroethology. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B 329:109–114
Marshall A, Wrangham R, Clark Arcadi A (1999) Does learning affect the structure of vocalizations in chimpanzees? Anim Behav 58:825–830
McNeill D (1992) Hand and Mind. University of Chicago Press, Chicago
Mitani J, Hasegawa T, Gros-Louis J, Marler P, Byrne R (1992) Dialects in wild chimpanzees? Am J Primatol 27:233–243
Mitani JC, Hunley KL, Murdoch ME (1999) Geographic variation in the calls of wild chimpanzees: a reassessment. Am J Primatol 47:133–151
Acknowledgements
Invaluable logistical support at Kibale was provided by R.W. Wrangham and the Kibale Chimpanzee Project staff. C. Katongole and C. Muruuli helped to find, identify, and follow the chimpanzees. Funding for the Kibale research was provided by the National Geographic Society (no. 5626–96). We thank Makerere University for permission to conduct research at MUBFS, G. Isabirye-Basuta and J. Kasenene for logistical support there, and the Uganda Wildlife Authority for permission to work in the Kibale National Forest. We are indebted to L. Bello for transcribing the Kibale field tapes and digitizing the drumming bouts. We thank the Ministère de la Recherche Scientifique and the Ministère des Eaux et Forêts of the Ivory Coast for accepting this project and the Swiss National Science Foundation for financially supporting D.R. This project was part of the Man and Biosphere UNESCO project under the supervision of Dr. H. Dosso. Much gratitude goes to C. Boesch for invaluable support and for sharing his experience of Taï. Many thanks are also due to G. Nohon, Q. Gouyan, E. Jagger and Dr. C. Steiner for their encouraging support and contribution to data collection, and to the Director of the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques and the staff of the Station IET at Taï for their logistic support.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Clark Arcadi, A., Robert, D. & Mugurusi, F. A comparison of buttress drumming by male chimpanzees from two populations. Primates 45, 135–139 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-003-0070-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-003-0070-8