Study
Cooperative hunting in wild chimpanzees
Boesch, Christophe
Animal Behaviour, 1994
Recorded chimpanzee hunts of colobus monkeys in the Taï forest, classifying participants by role — driver, blocker, chaser, ambusher — and comparing success and meat sharing between group sizes and between participants and bystanders.
- Studied in
- Pan troglodytes, Colobus
- Sample size
- observed colobus hunts in the Taï forest
Taï chimpanzees hunted in complementary roles, success increased with the number of hunters well beyond the point seen in other populations, and meat was preferentially shared with those who participated.
What it means
The authors' reading, and ours. Where they differ, that difference is the point.
How the authors put it
These hunts meet a strict definition of cooperation, and the preferential sharing addresses the free-riding problem that limits group size elsewhere.
How NatureHQ reads it
The contrast with the Yellowstone wolves is the point. Where wolves plateau at four because non-participants eat anyway, these chimpanzees do not, and the difference tracks whether participation is rewarded. Two populations, two group-size curves, one mechanism explaining both.
- One population; chimpanzee hunting at other sites shows less role structure and less participation-linked sharing, and the difference between sites is debated.
- Roles are assigned by an observer from behaviour, which involves interpretation.
What this study is used for on NatureHQ
One study can inform several subjects. Here is everywhere this one is cited.
Published by: Elsevier journalsPublished in an Elsevier journal.
doi.org/10.1006/anbe.1994.1285
Checked against Crossref on 2026-09-28, and they agree on the title, the authors and the year.
NatureHQ summarises research in its own words and does not reproduce published text. Reviewed 2026-09-03.