Patterns of food sharing among mother and infant chimpanzees at Gombe National Park, Tanzania.

Abstract

The patterns of food sharing among mother and infant chimpanzees at the Gombe National Park, Tanzania, are primarily influenced by the infants' ability to procure and process foods independently. Foods infants could find and process on their own were not shared by mothers as frequently as foods infants could not obtain independently. Temporal changes were observed in the patterns of interactions as infants matured. It is suggested that food sharing may be considered a behavioral strategy which facilitates the infant's transition from dependent suckling to independent foraging.