![]() ![]() In primates, incidences of filial cannibalism, in particular by mothers (maternal cannibalism), are extremely rare, and it has been argued that this is due to the high costs of maternal gestation and, at the proximate level, strong mother–infant bonds (Hrdy 2000). For example, rodent mothers that give birth to large litters are known to cannibalize some of the infants, although they commonly select ill or handicapped infants, suggesting that this is part of an evolved strategy (DeSantis and Schmaltz 1984). Filial cannibalism also exists in mammals (Polis 1981). In fish and reptile species with parental care, for example, eggs can be cannibalized when the costs of investing in the current clutch outweigh the benefits of future reproduction (Klug et al. We conclude that maternal cannibalism is extremely rare in this primate, likely due to early and strong mother–offspring bond formation, which may have been profoundly disrupted in the current cases.įilial cannibalism-a form of cannibalism in which a parent consumes its own offspring-is relatively common in some animal taxa (Polis 1981). ![]() We discuss these observations against a background of chimpanzee mothers consistently refraining from maternal cannibalism, despite ample opportunities and nutritional advantages. We concluded that, in both cases, cannibalizing the infant was unlikely due to health-related issues by the mothers. Neither female presented any apparent signs of ill health before or after the events. In both cases, the mothers consumed parts of the corpse and participated in meat sharing with other group members. Both infants likely died under different circumstances one apparently as a result of premature birth, the other possibly as a result of infanticide. Here, we report two anomalous observations of maternal cannibalism in communities of wild chimpanzees in Uganda and Ivory Coast and discuss the evolutionary implications. The typical response of chimpanzee mothers is to abandon their deceased infant, sometimes after prolonged periods of carrying and grooming the corpse. In chimpanzees, however, maternal cannibalism has been conspicuously absent, despite high levels of infant mortality and reports of non-maternal cannibalism. Maternal cannibalism has been reported in several animal taxa, prompting speculations that the behavior may be part of an evolved strategy. ![]()
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