While we may believe that we have nothing but ancestors in common with our primate relatives, Jane Goodall's research into chimpanzee behavior shows that, in areas from warfare to parenting, our two species are closely linked. In addition to killing for food, Goodall also found that some female chimps also kill the young of other females in their own troops in an effort to maintain dominance. But aggression is only part of chimp life.
Chimps have close family ties.
In particular, say scientists, Goodall's practice of following individual chimps for decades has yielded an unprecedented wealth of information for current researchers. Apparently, higher-ranking chimps get better access to food, and that translates into increased survival rates for their young. Goodall's Gombe data have also led researchers to take a closer look at the role that hunting plays in chimp feeding habits. One recent Gombe study, for instance, concluded that the 45 members of one troop ate a ton of monkey meat per year. All told, chimps may kill and eat a third of the Gombe's colobus population each year.