Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40247030›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

Wild chimpanzee termite mound inspections converge with the onset of rain.

Seth Phillips, Payton Sime, Cielo De La Rosa, Julia Whelan, Jay Reti, Alex K Piel, Fiona Stewart, Vicky M Oelze

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Seth PhillipsAnthropology Department, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, USA. secphill@ucsc.edu.
Payton SimeAnthropology Department, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, USA.
Cielo De La RosaAnthropology Department, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, USA.
Julia WhelanDepartment of Anthropology, University College London, London, UK.
Jay RetiAnthropology Department, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, USA.
Alex K PielDepartment of Anthropology, University College London, London, UK.
Fiona StewartDepartment of Anthropology, University College London, London, UK.
Vicky M OelzeAnthropology Department, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, USA. voelze@ucsc.edu.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

How and when to inspect for hidden and ephemeral food sources presents a cognitive challenge for wild animals. Observational data suggests a high degree of seasonality in the chimpanzees' preferred termite prey at the site of Issa Valley, Tanzania. This allows us to consider hypotheses on chimpanzees' ability to predict termite activity and to efficiently forage for termites based on seasonal rainfall trends. We analyzed 6806 min (113 h) of camera trap videos recorded over 48 months (from 2016-2019) from termite mounds and documented chimpanzee inspection behavior in the Issa Valley, western Tanzania. Our results suggest that Issa chimpanzees initiated foraging for termites, adjusted the period in which they prepared tools in advance, and inspected termite mounds in association with rainfall trends. Chimpanzee planning and foraging behaviors have implications for hominin decision making, forethought, and seasonal landscape utilization.

Indexed as

Feeding BehaviorIsopteraPan troglodytesRainAnimalsSeasonsTanzaniaCamera-trappingGreat apeInsectivoryTanzaniaTool-useWeather

Identifiers

PMID40247030
PMCPMC12006497

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.