Publication Date

Spring 1-25-2023

Abstract

Adolescence is a unique life stage in which individuals are reproductively mature but have not yet attained their full adult body size. In chimpanzees, which live in multimale-multifemale groups, this age period presents a challenge for males. Namely, adolescent males lack the physical strength to compete effectively with adult males for mating opportunities. In the following chapters, we seek to answer whether adolescent male chimpanzees exhibit behavior typical of highly competitive adults but with less success, or whether they pursue alternative behavioral tactics to largely avoid competition until they are fully grown. We utilize both long-term data spanning over two decades and data collected by DKE during 14 months of observation in 2015 and 2016. Through comparisons of adolescent and adult male behavior in a variety of social and agonistic contexts, we elucidate the tactics employed by adolescent males in the Kanyawara community of chimpanzees in Kibale National Park, Uganda.

Keywords

adolescence, aggression, chimpanzee, coalition, dominance rank, sexual coercion

Document Type

Dissertation

Language

English

Degree Name

Anthropology

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Anthropology

First Committee Member (Chair)

Martin Muller

Second Committee Member

Melissa Emery Thompson

Third Committee Member

Siobhán Mattison

Fourth Committee Member

Ian Gilby

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