Group and kin recognition via olfactory cues in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).

ABSTRACT: Primates were traditionally thought to have a reduced sense of smell. Although there is now evidence that olfaction plays a greater role in primate social life than previously assumed, research on the sense of smell in non-human apes is scarce. Chimpanzees sniff the ground and vegetation on boundary patrols, but the function of this behaviour is unclear. Since chimpanzees are highly territorial and can kill individuals that do not belong to their own community, sniffing might function to gather information about conspecifics, particularly concerning group membership and kinship. To investigate whether chimpanzees recognize group members and kin via olfactory cues, we conducted behavioural bioassays on two groups of chimpanzees at Leipzig Zoo. In a pilot study, we found that chimpanzees res

SUBMITTER: Henkel S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6234885 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature