Nimba Mountains, Ivory Coast/Guinea/Liberia

Brief History

Nimba is about 230 km from Tai and just 6-10 km from Bossou. The mountains are up to 1752m, with vegetation fading from forest below 800m to savanna above that. Little is known about the chimpanzees; Matsuzawa and colleagues have begun studying the Nuon community.

Primary source for the following Site Data is McGrew et. al. (1996), Great Ape Societies (Cambridge University Press), Appendix.

SITE DATA

Name: Nimba Mountains
Location: Ivory Coast, Yeale via Danane; Guinea, Nion via Lola; Liberia, Lamko; Nuon community at 7° 32' N, 8° 28' W
Status: Integrated reserve in Ivory Coast, reserve in Guinea
Area: 50km2
Altitude: 400-1752m
Temp: ---°C
Rainfall: ---
Vegetation: Primary forest
Human
influence: 		Selective logging at lower altitudes, hunting
Disturbance ratings -- ---
Closest
village: 		---
Species
studied: 		P. t. verus
Population
density: 		0.5 individuals per km2 (Matsuzawa & Yamakoshi, 1995, from Boesch et al., 1994)
Fauna: ---
Study
period: 		1986, 1993-present [1996]
Habituation: None
Research
presence: 		Occasional, now seasonal
Conservation: Education for local people
Current
research: 		Tool-use, feeding ecology, nest building
Methods: All-occurences sampling, indirect evidence
Contact
person: 		Tetsuro Matsuzawa, Kyoto University Primate Research Institute, Inuyama, Japan 484
Habitat photos ---
Maps There is a topographic map showing both Bossou and Nimba on page 213 of Matsuzawa & Yamakoshi (1995).
Aerial photos ---
Bibliography
  • Boesch, C., Marchesi, P., Marchesi, N., Fruth, B. & Joulian, F. (1994). Is nut cracking in wild chimpanzees a cultural behaviour? J. Hum. Evol. 26: 325-338.
  • Kortlandt, A. & Holzhaus, E. (1987). New data on the use of stone tools by chimpanzees in Guinea and Liberia. Primates. 28: 473-496.
  • Matsuzawa, T. & Yamakoshi, G. (1995). Comparison of chimpanzee material culture between Bossou and Nimba. pp. 211-232 IN Russon, A., Bard, K. & Parker, S. (Ed.), Reaching into Thought: the Minds of the Great Apes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
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