First evidence of underground extractive tool use by chimpanzees in Kibale National Park, Uganda

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dc.contributor.authorKrief, Sabrina
dc.contributor.authorMagaldi, Hugo
dc.contributor.authorKatumba, Raymond
dc.contributor.authorKajobe, Robert
dc.contributor.authorDif, Julia
dc.contributor.authorPoquin, Pierre
dc.contributor.authorBortolamiol, Sarah
dc.contributor.authorTibesigwa, John Justice
dc.contributor.authorChapman, Colin A.
dc.contributor.authorWatts, David P.
dc.date.accessioned2026-06-29T18:31:02Z
dc.date.available2026-06-29T18:31:02Z
dc.date.issued2026-05-25
dc.descriptionThis study advances SDG 15 (Life on Land), specifically Targets 15.1 and 15.5, by generating evidence to support the conservation of chimpanzees and their habitats. It also addresses SDG 13 (Climate Action), Target 13.1, by contributing to strengthening ecosystem resilience amid environmental change. Additionally, it supports SDG 4 (Quality Education), Target 4.7, by enhancing scientific understanding of biodiversity and wildlife conservation. The research aligns with Uganda’s National Development Plan IV (NDP IV), particularly the Natural Resources, Environment, Climate Change, Land and Water Management Programme and the Tourism Development Programme. It supports biodiversity conservation, protected area management, and sustainable nature-based tourism. By documenting the first evidence of underground extractive tool use by chimpanzees in Kibale National Park, this study highlights the importance of protecting unique animal cultures and behavioural diversity. The findings provide a scientific basis to inform conservation policies, anti-poaching initiatives, biodiversity research, and wildlife management, contributing to sustainable environmental and socio-economic development.
dc.description.abstractChimpanzee behavior, including tool use, varies widely among communities and populations. Tools made by chimpanzees for extracting products from the underground nests of stingless bees are among the most complex used by the species. They have rarely been described in East Africa and have never been observed in three chimpanzee communities in the Kibale National Park, Uganda—two at Ngogo and one at Kanyawara community—that have been studied for over 30 years. In the current study, we present the results of a 15-year study of a fourth community of chimpanzees ranging at Sebitoli, in the northern part of Kibale, and the insects they consume. We identified the stingless bees and carpenter bee species on which they feed. In addition, we collected the tools used by the Sebitoli chimpanzees. Of the 443 tools used in 152 episodes to extract products from insect nests, 332 were used by chimpanzees to explore or exploit underground or arboreal nests of Meliponula sp.. In addition, individuals sometimes left sticks vertically inserted into the entrances of underground bee nests. We discuss the implications for the transmission of the tool use behavior for subterranean extractive task within this social group, given that it appears to be absent in the other three Kibale Forest communities being studied. Our results highlight the importance of taking small-scale cultural variation into account in understanding chimpanzee behavioral repertoires as well as planning and implementing conservation strategies. We dedicate this article to the chimpanzee Hugo, who loved honey the most. He was slaughtered with machetes by poachers on April 3, 2026.
dc.description.sponsorshipGreat Ape Conservation Project, Fondation pour la Nature et l’Homme, Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco provided financial support for research conducted on Sebitoli chimpanzees and management of the program. Research at Ngogo has been supported by the US National Science Foundation (BCS-0215622 and IOB-0516644), the L.S.B. Leakey Foundation, the Wenner-Gren Foundation, the National Geographic Society, the Detroit Zoological Institute, the Max Planck Society, Primate Conservation Inc., Yale University, Boston University, the University of Michigan, and Arizona State University.
dc.identifier.citationKrief, S., Magaldi, H., Katumba, R., Kajobe, R., Dif, J., Poquin, P., Bortolamiol, S., Tibesigwa, J. J., Chapman, C. A., & Watts, D. P. (2026). First evidence of underground extractive tool use by chimpanzees in Kibale National Park, Uganda. Scientific Reports, 16(1), 19601. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-50645-5
dc.identifier.issn2045-2322
dc.identifier.urihttps://dir.muni.ac.ug/handle/20.500.12260/1003
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherSpringer Nature
dc.subjectPan troglodytes schweinfurthii
dc.subjectCulture
dc.subjectBee foraging
dc.subjectToolkits
dc.titleFirst evidence of underground extractive tool use by chimpanzees in Kibale National Park, Uganda
dc.typeArticle

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