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Aside from humans, chimpanzees have the most sophisticated memory of any mammal. In order to consume these fruits first thing in the morning, they utilize their memory of the locations and times when ripe fruits are accessible to choose which trees to visit and even where to sleep. Nevertheless, little is known about the cognitive processes animals employ to identify foods that are animal-based rather than plant-based.
Experts from the University of Barcelona and the Jane Goodall Institute Spain conducted a study that details the previously undiscovered cognitive skills used by wild chimps in Africa to devour army ants that hide in difficult-to-find underground nests. This is the first research to show how primates use spatial and episodic memory to capture social insects from underground nests.
The study illustrates for the first time how chimpanzees can overcome a cognitive barriers and utilize an animal food supply in the wild for years.
The findings, published in the journal Communications Biology, contribute to a better understanding of non-human primates’ cognitive processes and provide fresh perspective into how cognitive talents evolved in our lineage.
Army ants (Dorylus spp.), often known as the frightening marabunta, make up the world’s largest social insect colonies. These hymenopterous insects are high in protein and minerals, which are essential nutrients for chimps, but they are difficult to locate since they nest under rocks, roots, and fallen leaves and travel in unpredictable patterns.
As part of the research, the team examined 679 chimp visits to four army ant nests in the Dindefelo community nature reserve, a savannah ecosystem in Senegal’s south-east, from 2018 to 2022.
Researchers investigated whether chimps intentionally return to nests, the tactics they employ to identify ant presence, the abundance of these insects, and the amount to which chimps ingest them.
According to the researchers, ant nests are scarce and nearly always impossible to identify, therefore remembering the exact position of the nest is an effective foraging strategy for chimps. The nests are abandoned and reoccupied at irregular intervals, and this important aspect of ant behavior permits chimps to return to the same nests to feed on the insects.
Sources:
Andreu Sánchez-Megías et al. (2024). Wild chimpanzees remember and revisit concealed, underground army ant nest locations throughout multiple years, Communications Biology. DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-07206-1
https://phys.org/news/2024-12-chimpanzees-memory-insects-hidden-underground.html
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