Social Structure at Project Chimps
By Emmett Johnson
Meet Mack!
Mack is one of the interns at Project Chimps who is working on a project focusing on Gracie’s overall behavior and the social structure of the troop living in Cedar Tree Villa. Mack has just finished her BA in Anthropology and Geography with a specialization in Geography and Geospatial Technology from Coastal Carolina University, and is currently a Graduate student at the University of Oklahoma. Her professor influenced Mack to intern at Project Chimps for experience in the field.
As an animal lover drawn to primates, this internship feeds Mack’s passion for animals. So far, Mack is enjoying her internship, and sparked a special connection with Gracie. Mack is drawn to Gracie because she is one of the quieter chimps. Mack enjoys observing Gracie throughout various times of the day whether she is feeding or just napping in a hammock. Gracie is a mid-to-high-ranking chimp in her troop slowly working her way up in rank, and Mack is analyzing her role within the groups through observations, called Ethograms.
Social structure research
Mack’s project is specifically examining Gracie’s overall well-being in the group itself. It is important to see exhibited behaviors and how it affects the individual and the group. Since hierarchies can be fluid, it is important to do periodic observations to assess the overall welfare of the group.
Social structures determine their relationships and the order in which food is received. These statuses can change and are sometimes related to the relationship between one chimp and the alpha. Gracie was a low-ranking chimp when she came to Project Chimps but is slowly moving up the social ladder. A way to climb the social rank is to befriend an alpha male (currently Bo in this group) and attempt to groom him.
A benefit of being of higher status is receiving food before other chimps. When Gracie was a low-ranking chimp, she would have to wait for the males to get their food before she would take food. Her confidence has grown as her ranking has changed, and now she is more confident than lower ranking females when taking food.
Long-term research benefits
The research done in this project relates to Mack’s passion for primate behavior both in the sanctuary and in the wild. Due to deforestation and human conflict, chimps must move out of their canopies and deeper into the forest to stay safe. Like humans, chimpanzees work differently with different chimps and change behavior based on their setting.
Mack plans to spend her entire internship focusing her project on Gracie. Her findings will improve the study of chimps at Project Chimps because by doing an in-depth study on one chimp’s social ladder, that data may be used to analyze different chimps’ interactions with each other and why they behave the way they do around others. After Mack’s stay at Project Chimps, she plans to continue her education and career with primates. This internship shows her that there is always something to fuel someone’s interest!
Would you like to be part of our mission to provide former research chimps with exemplary lifelong care? If so, check out current opportunities on our official internship page.
