In the Mahale Mountains National Park of Tanzania, a group of about 33 chimpanzees were observed to surround a leopard den containing a mother and at least one cub and to drag out and kill the cub. This is the first report of chimpanzees or any other primate species killing their potential predator’s offspring. The incident suggests that chimpanzees, without any weapons, can manage to defend themselves against a carnivore of at least up to leopard size, and implicates how the early hominids may have reacted against their potential predators.

Keywords:
Chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes, Aggression, Predation, Human evolution
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© 1986 S. Karger AG, Basel
1986
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