Fieldwork-driven discoveries explore the evolution of movement, memory, meaning, and voice in animal behavior.
From travel routes to tool use, genetics to group dynamics, new research studies conducted by the Gorongosa science and research team are expanding what we know about the lives of primates and bats. These discoveries span the spectrum of cognition, culture, care, and connection—and they reflect the kind of insight only possible through long-term fieldwork, interdisciplinary collaboration, and deep curiosity.
Congratulations to all our scientists for advancing our understanding of primate behavior, ecology, evolution and bat vocalizations. We’re proud to celebrate this remarkable run of scientific contributions—and look forward to future reports.
Habitat Use and the Demographics of Object Manipulation by Wild Chacma Baboons
Sticks, sap, and snack hacks: Wild baboons get creative. This new study dives into the playful—and purposeful—ways chacma baboons interact with objects in the wild. Researchers observed baboons:
• Unwinding wire from trash bins to get food
• Digging up grass bulbs with both hands
• Extracting tree sap and processing palm fruit
• Using branches to display dominance
• Handling manmade items to solve problems
These behaviors—especially common in juveniles—happened more often in trees than on the ground, and mostly in open forest areas. The study suggests object play and manipulation are shaped by age, habitat, and possibly even creativity. What this tells us is the seeds of tool use—and complex thinking—may start with two hands and a curious mind. Read the full report at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajpa.70094
What made our ancestors come down from the trees? This study challenges the idea of a straight evolutionary path to human bipedality, suggesting instead that multiple forms of walking upright—and staying in the trees—evolved in different ways and times. By combining fossil evidence, ecology, and primate behavior, the authors explore how shifting risks in ancient landscapes may have pushed some primates, including early humans, toward life on the ground. Their approach offers a broader, more nuanced understanding of how and why bipedalism evolved. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ecology-and-evolution/articles/10.3389/fevo.2025.1473794/full
The Traveling Salesbaboon: Chacma baboon route efficiency in multi-stop daily travel routes
Like salesmen planning stops, our park baboons plan daily routes between food, water and sleeping spots. A new paper highlights how Gorongosa baboons plan their travel. GPS data shows that they don’t just go to the nearest location, but also follow more intelligent routes, although not always on the perfect path. https://www.mdpi.com/3042-4526/2/2/18
Effects of an extreme weather event on primate populations.
How do primates respond to extreme storms? After Cyclone Idai struck Gorongosa National Park in 2019, scientists used long-term camera trap data to track changes in baboon and vervet monkey behavior. They found that while baboons briefly moved to drier areas, both species quickly returned to normal patterns—and their numbers remained stable. The study highlights the resilience of these primates and offers clues about how extreme weather events may have shaped both primate and human evolution. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajpa.25049domain=p2p_domain&token=5DPYCA6BUSY8VJGXHHVD
West Side Story: Regional inter-troop variation in baboon bark-stripping at Gorongosa National Park
Some baboon troops strip bark from Acacia robusta trees in Gorongosa National Park, others don’t. Same park, same trees, but different habits. The researchers found that this behavior clusters by region, not by food needs or environment. Could baboons be passing it on culturally? https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajpa.70057
Ecosystem-wide responses to fire and large mammal herbivores in an African savanna
How do fire and large herbavores shape savanna ecosystems? As the recipient of the Julie Denslow prize from the Biotropica Editorial Board, this award-winning study takes a rare, ecosystem-wide look at the combined effects of fire and large mammal herbivores in a tropical African savanna. By manipulating the timing of burns and the presence of herbivores, researchers began to uncover how these powerful forces—and their interaction with soils, vegetation, and water—shape biodiversity. After just one year, shifts in plant and animal communities were already evident, highlighting the importance of multi-species, long-term approaches to fire management and conservation in savannas. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/btp.13338
What language do bats speak? Cesária Huó is trying to find out.
Every bat call has a story—and our scientists are listening. Gorongosa conservation scientists are recording and collecting bat vocalizations to understand how the sounds they make evolve and discover how their vocalizations change over time. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01469-2
Sex-mediated gene flow in Grayfoot Chacma Baboons in Gorongosa National Park
New research from Gorongosa National Park shows how baboons are thriving despite the war’s lasting impact on the ecosystem. Scientists discovered the grayfoot chacma baboons of Gorongosa National Park have maintained high genetic diversity and stable populations. The study also found that male baboons are the ones moving between groups, helping connect populations across the landscape. This research, conducted using non-invasive genetic sampling, supports conservation and helps us understand how primates adapted to environmental change, with potential implication for early human evolution. Read the full open-access study: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10764-025-00494-2
Baboons at the Crossroads: Uncovering a hidden atory of primate mixing in Mozambique.
What happens when different species of baboons meet in the wild? In Central Mozambique, particularly in Gorongosa National Park, they don’t just share space — they share genes. This study dives into the tangled family tree of baboons in this region, revealing a surprising mix of chacma and yellow baboon ancestry, with some unexpected influences from kinda baboons too.
Using new DNA data gathered from fecal samples (yes, poop science is powerful!), researchers uncovered signs of ancient interbreeding that reshaped what we thought we knew about baboon evolution. The genetic evidence suggests that baboons here are hybrids, shaped by past migrations and encounters with neighboring species — especially yellow baboons from eastern Tanzania.
These findings don’t just rewrite part of baboon history; they also highlight Mozambique as a key meeting point in primate evolution. It’s a reminder that species boundaries in nature are often blurrier than they seem — and that the past still lives on in the DNA of today’s wild animals. The study, was published June 28, 2025 – https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajpa.70082
