Book review: Michio Nakamura, Kazuhiko Hosaka, Noriko Itoh, Koichiro Zamma (eds). Mahale Chimpanzees: 50 years of research

Abstract

This is the most comprehensive review of research at a single study site of wild chimpanzees written to date. As the editors say, they have tried in this book to bring together all the different research undertakings at Mahale since it began life 50 years ago. It is a multiauthored book and could not have been written by a single author; the coverage is too wide. It carries on from the earlier book edited by the late Toshisada Nishida: The Chimpanzees of the Mahale Mountains (1990) and Nishisa’s personal account: Chimpanzees of the Lakeshore (2012). With this new book comes the full, detailed account Nishida himself wanted to edit. The book is beautifully produced, with immense attention to detail, many illustrations and figures, and is very clearly written. As a result, the chapters are clear and straightforward. The 70 or so mainly Japanese researchers whose work is summarised here are dedicated, independent and fearless. When an author has an idea of his or her own, the first person is used. Some chapters are newly translated from Japanese, so not all the material is familiar to members of the chimp field studies research community. For example, I had not previously come across the detailed study of skeletal and dental morphology (Daisuke Shimizu, Chap. 45), and I found it very interesting to read about the individual chimpanzees found dead, brought back to camp, and studied. Some showed signs of disease, some had skeletal evidence of injuries, others died of old age. At Budongo, over the 25 years of our project, we have recovered dead specimens, and I am aware of the many difficulties of handling and performing autopsies on wild chimpanzees, especially in view of Ebola and other such diseases against which preventive measures must be taken. Much of the work described in this book is in the areas of behaviour and social organisation. A high level of detail is combined with a determination to make the results comprehensible. I found the reappraisal of the disappearance of the K group (Chap. 10, Yukio Takahata) quite fascinating. The author brings a number of insights into how infant killing, female choice and male–male relationships may have combined to produce this major change in social organisation at Mahale. & Vernon Reynolds vreynolds@btopenworld.com