War of chimpanzees against gorillas: a major conflict that changed the idea of ​​primates (8 photos)

They are almost like people, but their thoughts are not distorted by technological progress. And yet they are capable of such cruelty that it makes your chest freeze.





If chimpanzees are kind and peaceful, then why do they have such fangs?

People have always known that chimpanzees are tough guys. They are territorial animals that really don't like it when someone sneaks onto their lands and eats their fruits. They don't like it so much that they equip patrols that don't allow strangers to enter. And border skirmishes are not uncommon for the species. Neighbors regularly test the strength of each other's borders and seize other people's lands at the first opportunity. Previously, it was believed that military actions were relatively peaceful. Most often, chimpanzees simply swear loudly, less often - they fight with each other until blood flows or the opponents flee. And then primatologists from the Gombe Stream National Park observed a four-year war of monkeys.



The more land a pack has, the more food they have and the lower the competition within the pack. Therefore, they make every effort to seize other people's territories.

In 1973, a split occurred in the Kasakela monkey colony: 6 of the 14 males decided to form their own troop. They were joined by 3 females with cubs, and together they were able to capture part of the Kasakela territory. This is how the Kahama community arose. The monkeys from Kasakela could not come to terms with this and decided to declare war on their former comrades.





A chimpanzee group is not just a troop. It is a complex social structure where there are political games. One of the first scientists to record the intricate relationships of primates was Frans de Waal. He dedicated an entire book to them - "Politics among Chimpanzees. Power and Sex among Primates".

But this was not a noble wall-to-wall fight, but a guerrilla war. The males from Kasakela organized raids on the territory of Kahama and hunted for lonely males. For 4 long years they tracked and killed them, one after another. And when the last of them died, they came for the females. They were taken by force deep into the territory of Kasakela. And those who tried to escape were not spared.



Despite the confident victory of the gang from Kasakela, the war destroyed them too. The weakened pack with a small number of males eventually lost all their territories in conflicts with other neighbors.

Since then, scientists have observed bloody wars between monkeys several times. But in 2019, the degree of violence increased: chimpanzees declared war on gorillas. Previously, it was believed that there were no and could not be conflicts between the two species - they occupy too different niches. Gorillas are vegetarian titans from the lower tiers of the forest. Their diet is based on coarse plant food. And chimpanzees live in the crowns of trees, feed on fruits, carrion and fresh meat.



Monkeys love fresh meat and it often becomes the cause of quarrels within the group. And the prey for primates most often becomes... other, smaller primates.

And indeed, in most cases, gorillas barely notice the chimpanzees jumping above their heads. And they, in turn, calmly let the giant primates into their territory. Babies of both species sometimes even play with each other! Such an idyllic picture was observed by scientists from the Laongo National Park in Gabon. And then the calm relations suddenly changed to bloody fights.



Friendship, like love, is subject to all species!

The chimpanzees immediately launched a frontal attack. The interspecies war began with an attack by 18 chimpanzees on a group of 5 gorillas. The skirmish lasted almost an hour and ended with the victory of the small but numerous primates. The gorillas fled, suffering losses: one of the cubs failed to leave the battlefield.



It's scary to even imagine that such a gang could be afraid of someone who doesn't have a rifle in their hands...

A few months later, history repeated itself, only on a larger scale. A group of chimpanzees came across a small family of gorillas during a patrol. The patrol did not attack immediately, but called for backup. As a result, a family of 7 primates had to fight 27 chimpanzees. Despite fierce resistance, they were forced to flee. During the retreat, the raiders managed to snatch a baby from one of the mothers.



The chimpanzees tried to attack not the males, but the female gorillas, because they are 2 times lighter and much calmer.

The exact reasons for such aggressive behavior are still unknown. The most plausible hypothesis says that the serious fruit crop failure is to blame. There were so few of them that the chimpanzees had to pay attention to other food sources, and that's when they encountered competition from the gorillas. And they responded to it in their usual manner - with undisguised aggression.