Chimpanzee hunting and the acquisition of preferential prey vary from group to group, forming group cultural identities. The evolution of chimpanzee prey preferences can be explained by the optimal foraging theory, which predicts prey will be selected based on a cost/benefit relationship between the energetic benefits of consuming a prey item compared with the costs of capturing and ingesting it without getting injured (Pyke, 1984). Chimpanzee hunting behaviors are particularly relevant in determining the role that predation played in hominid evolution, as well as in the evolution of group hunting strategies (Pruetz et al., 2015 Stanford, 1996). Prey is highly sought after, sometimes with the use of tools and group hunting parties (Stanford et al., 1994). It is now known, however, that they actively hunt animals, including primates, small ungulates, birds, reptiles, and invertebrates, which account for up to 4% of the diet (Boesch, 2002 Gilby & Wawrzyniak, 2018 Mitani & Watts, 2001). Originally, chimpanzees were presumed to be herbivorous (Stanford, 1995). This shared ancestry means that chimpanzees are often used as a model for understanding early hominid behavioral ecology (Pilbeam et al., 2017). Modern humans ( Homo sapiens) share 96% of their genome with chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes Tomkins, 2016). Prey preference information from chimpanzee research can assist conservation management programs by identifying key prey species to manage, as well as contribute to a better understanding of the evolution of human hunting behavior. Sex ratio in chimpanzee groups is a main driver in developing these preferences, where chimpanzees increasingly prefer prey when in proportionally male‐dominated groups. Chimpanzees prefer prey with a body weight of 7.6 ± 0.4 kg or less, which corresponds to animals such as juvenile bushbuck ( Tragelaphus scriptus) and adult ashy red colobus monkeys ( Piliocolobus tephrosceles). We calculated a Jacobs’ index value for each prey species killed at two sites in Uganda and two sites in Tanzania. We used these data in a generalized linear model to determine what factors drive chimpanzee prey preference. We extracted data on prey‐specific variables such as targeted species, their body weight, and their abundance within the prey community, and hunter‐specific variables such as hunting method, and chimpanzee group size and sex ratio. Using the literature on chimpanzee hunting behavior and diet from 13 studies, we aimed to determine the prey preferences of chimpanzees. Originally presumed herbivorous, chimpanzees have been observed hunting 24 species of birds, ungulates, rodents, and other primates, using an array of techniques from tools to group cooperation. The common chimpanzee Pan troglodytes is the closest extant relative of modern humans and is often used as a model organism to help understand prehistoric human behavior and ecology.
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