Thread by @Mammals_Suck

Next Up: #3 Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) vs #6 Mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) #2021MMM

Chimpanzees, among wild primates, are the most studied species yielding extensive knowledge of their natural history, social behavior, diet, hunting, & development (@bezanswer & @allison_mcnama 2019) onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.10… #2021MMM

Chimpanzee males spend their lives in the community they are born into, developing bonds, friendships, & coalitions with other males. These relationships begin during development, often with kin (Sandel et al. 2020) #2021MMM pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31903634/

Chimpanzees, like humans, but UNLIKE most other primates, have social relationships that get "better" as they age, with increasing positive social interactions & fewer conflicts (Machanda & Rosati 2020) #2021MMM sites.lsa.umich.edu/cognitive-evol…

Mandrills are considered semi-terrestrial, often foraging & routinely traveling on the ground, especially large adult males. #2021MMM Sidebar: this camera trap report from the Dja Biosphere Reserve, Cameroon is AMAZING; researchgate.net/profile/Tom-Br…

Within Mandrill groups, females occupy more central positions & play important roles in group cohesion, with males more likely to be peripheral or lone males not part of a group (Bret et al. 2013, image by Eric Kilby) #2021MMM journals.plos.org/plosone/articl…

During transitions into adulthood, male mandrills develop their canines, bulk out their bodies, & get adult colors; also become peripheral (or absent) from the group. This seems to be a strategy to avoid conflict & combat during adolescence. (Setchell 2003) #2021MMM

Tonight's Battle takes place in Lopé National Park, central Gabon in 9-ha "island" of forest, surrounded by savanna WHERE MANDRILL & CHIMPANZEE ARE SYMPATRIC! (Tutin 1999, image by Ngangorica via Wikimedia) #2021MMM link.springer.com/content/pdf/10…

A lone male Mandrill is foraging on the forest floor... #2021MMM

When a fully adult male Chimpanzee, accompanied by a subadult male chimpanzee friend, arrives to also forage. #2021MMM

Chimpanzees routinely hunt monkeys, #DirectorsCut often crushing the skull to eat the brain first! BRRRRAAAIIINNNSSSS are a "large, nutrient-dense source of energy and essential nutrients" (@ian_gilby & Wawrzyniak 2018) #2021MMM link.springer.com/article/10.100…

BUT such monkey-hunting by Chimpanzees requires multiple adult males for success & definitely doesn't target a fully operational battle station, I mean fully adult male Mandrill #2021MMM

The Mandrill side-eyes the Chimpanzee. The Chimpanzee side-eyes the Mandrill. #StaringIsAggressiveInPrimates #DontStartNoneWontBeNone #2021MMM

The Chimpanzee coughs. #2021MMM

When last we saw our #2021MMM Chimpanzee combatant, he had just been bitten by the white-winged vampire bat... WAS THERE ZOONOTIC DISEASE TRANSMISSION?!?!?! #2021MMM

No. Although bats can be viral reservoirs contributing to zoonotic infectious diseases, the incubation period of rabies, primary concern from some vampire bats, is typically much longer than 5 days (Moratelli & Calisher 2015) #2021MMM ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…

The Chimpanzee coughing dislodges a fig chunk caught in his throat. Indeed, figs are a year-round, important, & predominant component of the Chimpanzee's diet #FanFIGingTastic #2021MMM

The Chimpanzee & the Mandrill continue their side-eyeing. #2021MMM

Although the Chimpanzee #Ape outweighs the Mandrill #HeaviestMonkey, the Mandrill's canines are larger & sharper (Setchell 2016) #2021MMM pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26808101/ (Chimpanzee image from McLennan & Hockings 2016; Mandrill image from Leigh et al. 2008)

Instead of tangling with the Mandrill, the adult male Chimpanzee climbs a tree... #2021MMM

TO THE NEST OF A CROWNED HAWK-EAGLE, Stephanoaetus coronatus!!! (Takahata et al. 1984) #2021MMM

The adult male Chimpanzee "stalks to the nest, looks into it, and attempts to seize something, perhaps fledglings or eggs" (Takahata et al. 1984) #2021MMM

The crowned hawk-eagle "parent bird, however, strikes the back of the chimpanzee's head with its beak, and the adult male Chimpanzee quickly descends to the ground" (Takahata et al 1984) joins subadult friend to locomote away from the eagle tree #2021MMM researchgate.net/profile/Yukio-…

Mandrill calmly eats fruit #GroundScore while watching the Chimpanzee depart the scene of battle #2021MMM

MANDRILL OUTLASTS CHIMPANZEE!!! #2021MMM

Oh and by the way... for anyone wondering... Crowned Hawk-Eagle is the African analogue of the Harpy Eagle... but SMALLER in body mass, talon length, & prey size.

#2021MMM

[gif is Ben Wyatt saying BAM! & dropping microphone]