Chimpanzees at this site (south of Lake Rutanzige [ex-Edward]) have been studied for a relatively short period of time, but it is of interest because the primary investigator, Jeanne Sept, is (I believe) the first paleoarchaeologist to attempt to address early hominid behavior by collecting data on chimpanzees; a number of primatologists (myself included) have tried to apply conclusions about apes to understanding hominids but Sept is coming at the problem from "the other side." Sept also worked on vegetation at the Semliki Valley (north of L. Rutanzige) and the bibliography below contains articles referring to both sites (note that ongoing research at "Semliki" by Kevin Hunt is near but does not overlap Sept's Semliki study area).
Primary source for the following is Sept (1992b); see also http://www.indiana.edu/~origins/research/Ishasha.html.
Name: | Ishasha River |
Location: | D. R. Congo/Uganda border, 0° 37' S, 29° 39' E |
Status: | The river separates the Parc National des Virunga (D. R. Congo) and Rwenzori NP (Uganda); Sept worked along the Congo side |
Area: | 10km section of river ... |
Altitude: | --- m |
Temp: | --- °C |
Rainfall: | 750mm/yr |
Vegetation: | Closed-canopy riverine gallery (dominated by e.g. Cynometra alexandrii, Pterygota mildebraedii, Chrysophyllum albidum) and dry forest ecotone separating the gallery from surrounding wooded grasslands (dry forest mainly Ebenaceae and thickets of Capparaceae and Euphorbiaceae) (See Sept 1990 for Semliki plants) |
Human influence: |
--- Disturbance ratings -- --- |
Closest village: | --- |
Species studied: | P. t. schweinfurthii |
Population density: | --- individuals per km2 (10-25 individuals suspected in study area) |
Fauna: | --- |
Study period: |
Ishasha: 1989-1990 Semliki: 1986 |
Habituation: | None |
Research presence: | Seasonal |
Conservation: | --- |
Current research: | --- |
Methods: | Vegetation and nest transects |
Contact person: | Dr. Jeanne Sept, Dept. of Anthropology, Indiana University, Bloomington IN 47405 (sept@indiana.edu) |
Habitat photos | Link to Jeanne Sept's page. |
Maps | --- |
Aerial photos | --- |
Bibliography | References for data found in this site, and other sources relating to Ishasha |
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Miscellaneous | Related links |