DAVID P. WATTS, Ph.D.
Last updated: October 5, 2011
Present Position:
Professor, Department of Anthropology, Yale University
Associated faculty, Program on African Studies, Yale University
Associated faculty, Program in Cognitive Science, Yale University
Address:
Dept. of Anthropology, Yale University
P.O. Box 208277
New Haven, CT 06520-8277
Tel: 203-432-9597 (office)
E-mail: david.watts@yale.edu
Education:
University of Pennsylvania B.A., 1973, Anthropology
University of Chicago M.A., 1977, Anthropology
University of Chicago Ph.D., 1983, Anthropology
M.A. Thesis: Resource Utilization and Activity Patterns of Cebus capucinus on Barro Colorado Island, Panama Canal Zone.
PhD. Thesis: Foraging Strategy and Socioecology of Mountain Gorillas (Pan gorilla beringei).
Academic Honors:
Graduation Summa Cum Laude, University of Pennsylvania.
Roy D. Albert Prize for M.A. Thesis, Dept. of Anthropology, Univ. of Chicago, 1977.
University Unendowed Funds, Division of the Social Sciences, Univ. of Chicago, 1975-76.
University of Chicago Distinguished Alumnus Award, 1998.
Research Grants
Hinds Fund Research Grant No. 6-3131-49-6317, Committee on Evolutionary Biology, Univ. of Chicago, 1976.
Research in Rwanda, 1978-1979, and training at University of Chicago, 1976-80, supported by NIMH Grant No. 5T32 MH 15181-03.
Research in Rwanda, 1984-85, supported by: The L.S.B. Leakey Foundation; The World Wildlife Fund, U.S.; The Wildlife Preservation Trust International; The Chicago Zoological Society; The Eppley Foundation for Research, Inc.
Research/Administrative work in Rwanda, 1986-87 and 1989, supported by The Digit Fund.
Research in Rwanda, 1991, supported by the L.S.B. Leakey Foundation
Research in Rwanda, 1992, supported by the L.S.B. Leakey Foundation and the Douroucouli Foundation
Research in Uganda, 1993, supported by the L.S.B. Leakey Foundation
Research in Uganda, 1995 and 1996, supported by the L.S.B. Leakey Foundation and by Primate Conservation, Inc.
Research in Uganda, 1997, supported by Yale University
Research in Uganda, 1998-99, supported by The L.S.B. Leakey Foundation
Research in Uganda, 2000, supported by The L.S.B. Leakey Foundation and The National Geographic Society.
Research in Uganda, 2001, supported by The Social Science Research Fund, Yale University.
Research in Uganda, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 supported by the L.S.B. Leakey Foundation and Yale University.
Research in Uganda, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 supported by Yale University, the National Science Foundation, and the National Geographic Society.
Field Experience:
Barro Colorado Island, Panama Canal Zone:
June-September, 1976: Behavioral ecology of white-faced Cebus monkeys (Cebus capucinus); botanical field assistant to Dr. Robin Foster, Dept. of Biology, University of Chicago.
Parc National des Volcans, Rwanda (Karisoke Research Centre):
March 1978-July 1979: Feeding ecology and social organization of mountain gorillas.
March 1984-August 1985: Mountain gorilla ecological strategies and inter-group relationships; social relationships of female mountain gorillas, female/female competition and female transfer.
April 1986-December 1987: social relationships and life history tactics of female mountain gorillas; social relationships of adolescent male mountain gorillas; evolution of the mountain gorilla social system; Director, Karisoke Research Centre.
Temporary Director, Karisoke Research Centre, June-July, 1989; research on mountain gorilla social relationships.
June-August, 1991, June-August, 1992: Conflict regulation and resolution in mountain gorillas; agonistic interventions; long-term research on female social relationships; mountain gorilla nutritional ecology.
Makerere University Biological Field Station, Kibale National Park, Uganda:
June-August, 1993: Pilot study of chimpanzee social relationships and ecology at Ngogo.
June-December, 1995, June-August, 1996, June-August, 1997, October, 1998-July, 1999; May-August, 2000; May-August, 2001, June-December, 2002, June-August, 2003, 2004, 2005; March-August, 2006; June-August, 2007; June-August, 2008; June-October, 2009, June-August 2010, June-August 2011 (ongoing): Comparative behavioral ecology of chimpanzees at Ngogo; variation in male chimpanzee social relationships and mating tactics; chimpanzee hunting behavior; chimpanzee boundary patrolling and relations between chimpanzee communities; chimpanzee feeding ecology; genetic variation among wild chimpanzees.
Publications:
1980. Harcourt, A.H., D. Fossey, K.J. Stewart, and D.P. Watts. Reproduction in wild mountain gorillas and some comparisons with chimpanzees. Journal of Reproduction and Fertility, Supplement 28: 59-70.
1983. Waterman, P.G., G. Choo, A. Vedder, and D.P. Watts. Digestibility, digestion inhibitors, and nutrients from herbaceous foliage from an African montane flora and its comparison with other tropical flora. Oecologia (Berlin), 60: 244-249.
1984. Watts, D. P. Composition and variability of mountain gorilla diets in the central Virungas. American Journal of Primatology, 7: 325-356.
1985a. Watts, D.P. Observations on the ontogeny of feeding behavior in mountain gorillas. American Journal of Primatology, 8: 1-10.
1985b. Watts, D.P. Relations between group size and composition and feeding competition in mountain gorilla groups. Animal Behaviour, 33: 72-85.
1985c. Tuttle, R.H., and D.P. Watts. Positional behavior and adaptive complexes of Pan gorilla. In: Primate Locomotion and Bipedalism (ed. by S. Kondo, H. Ishida, M. Okada, T. Kimura, and M. Yamazaki), pp. 261-288. Tokyo, Tokyo University Press.
1987. Watts, D.P. Effects of mountain gorilla foraging activities on the productivity of their food plant species. African Journal of Ecology, 25: 155-163.
1988a. Watts, D.P. Environmental influences on mountain gorilla time budgets. American Journal of Primatology, 15: 295-312.
1988b. Watts, D.P. and J. Hess. Twin birth in wild mountain gorillas. Oryx, 22:5-6.
1988c. Stewart, K. J., Harcourt, A.H., and D.P. Watts. Determinants of fertility in wild gorillas and other primates. In: Natural Human Fertility: Social and Biological Mechanisms (ed. by P. Diggory, M. Potts, and S. Teper), pp. 22-38. London, McMillan.
1989a. Watts, D.P. Infanticide in mountain gorillas: new cases and a reconsideration of the evidence. Ethology, 81:1-18.
1989b. Watts, D.P. Ant eating behavior of mountain gorillas. Primates, 30:121-125.
1990a. Watts, D.P. Ecology of gorillas and its relationship to female transfer in mountain gorillas. International Journal of Primatology, 11:21-45.
1990b. Watts, D.P. Mountain gorilla life histories, reproductive competition, sociosexual behavior, and some implication for captive gorilla breeding. Zoo Biology, 9:185-200.
1990c. Mahaney, W.C., D.P. Watts, and R.G.V. Hancock. Geophagic behaviour of African mountain gorillas (Gorilla gorilla beringei) in the Virunga mountains, Rwanda. Primates, 31:113-120.
1991a. Watts, D.P. Strategies of habitat use by mountain gorillas. Folia Primatologica, 56:1-16.
1991b. Watts, D.P. Mountain gorilla reproduction and sexual behavior. American Journal of Primatology, 24:211-226.
1991c. Watts, D.P. Harassment of immigrant female mountain gorillas by resident females. Ethology, 89:135-153.
1992. Watts, D.P. Social relationships of immigrant and resident female mountain gorillas, I. Male-female relationships. American Journal of Primatology, 28:159-181.
1993. Watts, D.P., and A.E. Pusey. Behavior of juvenile and adolescent great apes. In: Socioecology of Juvenile Primates (eds. M.E. Pereira and L. Fairbanks). Cambridge, Cambridge Univ. Press.
1994a. Watts, D.P. Social relationships of immigrant and resident female mountain gorillas, II: relatedness, residence, and relationships between females. American Journal of Primatology, 32:13-30.
1994b. Watts, D.P. The influence of male mating tactics on habitat use in mountain gorillas (Gorilla gorilla beringei). Primates, 35:35-47.
1994c. Watts, D.P. Agonistic relationships of female mountain gorillas. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 34:347-358.
1995a. Watts, D.P. Post-conflict social events in wild mountain gorillas, 1. Social interactions between opponents. Ethology, 100:158-174.
1995b. Watts, D.P. Post-conflict social events in wild mountain gorillas, 2. Redirection and consolation. Ethology, 100:175-191.
1996. Watts, D.P. Comparative socioecology of gorillas. Pp. 16-28 in: Great Ape Societies (eds. W.C. McGrew, T. Nishida, & L.A. Marchant). Cambridge, Cambridge Univ. Press.
1997a. Watts, D.P. Agonistic interventions in wild mountain gorilla groups. Behaviour, 134:23-57.
1997b. Mitani, J.C. & D.P. Watts. The evolution of non-maternal caretaking in primates: do helpers help? Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 40:213-220.
1997c. Sterck, E., D.P. Watts, & C.P. van Schaik. The evolution of social relationships in female primates. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 41:291-309.
1998a. Watts, D.P. A preliminary study of selective visual attention in female mountain gorillas (Gorilla gorilla beringei). Primates, 39:71-78.
1998b. Watts, D.P. Long-term habitat use by mountain gorillas (Gorilla gorilla beringei), 1: Consistency, variation, and home range size and stability. International Journal of Primatology, 19: 651-680.
1998c. Watts, D.P. Long-term habitat use by mountain gorillas (Gorilla gorilla beringei), 2: Re-use of foraging areas in relation to resource abundance, quality and depletion. International Journal of Primatology, 19: 681-702.
1998d. Watts, D.P. Coalitionary mate guarding by male chimpanzees at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 44: 43-55.
1998e. Watts, D.P. Seasonality in the ecology and life histories of mountain gorillas (Gorilla gorilla beringei). International Journal of Primatology 19: 929-948.
1999a. Mitani, J.C. & Watts, D.P. Demographic influences on the hunting behavior of chimpanzees. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 109: 439-454.
1999b. Pepper, J.W., J.C. Mitani & D.P. Watts. General gregariousness and specific partner preference among wild chimpanzees. International Journal of Primatology, 20: 613-632.
2000a. Watts, D.P. Grooming between male chimpanzees at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda. I. Partner number and diversity and reciprocity. International Journal of Primatology 21: 189-210.
2000b. Watts, D.P. Grooming between male chimpanzees at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda. II. Male rank and priority of access to partners. International Journal of Primatology 21: 211- 238.
2000c. Watts, D.P. Mountain gorilla habitat use strategies and group movements. In: Group Movements: Patterns, Processes, and Cognitive Implications in Primates and Other Animals (eds. S. Boinski & P. Garber), pp. 351-374. Cambridge, Cambridge Univ. Press.
2000d. Watts, D.P. Causes and consequences of variation in the number of males in mountain gorilla groups. In: The Socioecology of Primate Males (ed. P. Kappeler), pp. 169-180. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
2000e. Watts, D.P., F. Colmenares, & K. Arnold. Redirection, consolation, and male policing: how targets of aggression interact with bystanders. In: Natural Conflict Resolution (ed. F.B.M. de Waal & F. Aureli), pp. 281-301. University of California Press, Berkeley.
2000f. Watts, D.P. & J.C. Mitani. Infanticide and cannibalism by male chimpanzees at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda. Primates, 41: 357-364.
2001a. Watts, D.P. Social relationships of female mountain gorillas. In: The Mountain Gorillas of Karisoke (eds. M. Robbins, P. Sicotte, & K.J. Stewart), pp. 215-240. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
2001b. Watts, D.P. & J. C. Mitani. Boundary patrolling and inter-community aggression in wild chimpanzees. Behaviour, 138: 299-327.
2001c. Mitani, J.C. & D.P. Watts. Why do chimpanzees hunt and share meat? Animal Behaviour, 61: 915-924.
2001d. Watts, D.P & R.W. Wrangham. Chimpanzees and bonobos. In The Oxford Encyclopedia of Mammals (ed. D.W. Macdonald), pp. 406-412. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
2002a. Watts, D.P. Reciprocity and interchange in the social relationships of wild male chimpanzees. Behaviour, 139: 343-370.
2002b. Watts, D.P. & J. C. Mitani. Hunting by chimpanzees at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda. International Journal of Primatology 23: 1-29.
2002c. Watts, D.P. & J. C. Mitani. 2002. Hunting and meat sharing by chimpanzees at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda. Pp. 244-258 in Behavioral Diversity in Chimpanzees and Bonobos (eds. G. Hohmann & C. Boesch). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
2002d. Mitani, J.C., D.P. Watts, & J.S. Lwanga. Ecological and social correlates of chimpanzee party size and gregariousness. Pp. 102-111 in Behavioral Diversity in Chimpanzees and Bonobos (eds. G. Hohmann & C. Boesch). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
2002e. Mitani, J.C., D.P. Watts, J.W. Pepper, & A. Meriweather. Demographic and social constraints on male chimpanzee behavior. Animal Behaviour, 64: 727-737.
2002f. Watts, D.P., J.C. Mitani, & H.M. Sherrow. New cases of inter-community infanticide by male chimpanzees at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda. Primates, 43: 263-269.
2002g. Mitani, J.C., Watts, D.P., & M.N. Muller. Recent developments in the study of wild chimpanzee behavior. Evolutionary Anthropology 11: 9-25.
2003a. Watts, D.P. Gorilla social relationships: an overview. Pp. 302-327 in Gorilla biology: A Multidisciplinary Perspective (eds. A. Taylor & M. Goldsmith). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
2003c. Santiago, M.L., M. Lukasik, S. Kamenya, Y. Li, F. Bibollet-Ruche, E. Bailes, M.N. Muller, M. Emery, D. Goldenberg, J.S. Lwanga, A. Ayouba, E. Nerrienet, H.M. McClure, J.L.Heeney, D.P. Watts, A.E. Pusey, D.A. Collins, R.W. Wrangham, J. Goodall, J.F.Y. Borrkfield, P.M. Sharp, G.M. Shaw, and B.H. Hahn. Foci of endemic simian immunodeficiency virus infection in wild-living eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii). Journal of Virology, 77: 7545-7562.
2003d. Mitani, J.C. & D.P. Watts. Field research at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda. Pan Africa News 10: 3-4.
2004a. Nishida, T., J.C. Mitani, & D.P. Watts. Variable grooming behaviours in wild chimpanzees. Folia Primatologica, 75: 31-36.
2004b. Watts, D.P. Within-community killing of an adult male chimpanzee at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda. International Journal of Primatology, 25:507-522.
2004c. Van Schaik, C.P., S. Preuschoft, & D.P. Watts. Great ape social systems. In: The Evolution of Thought: Evolutionary Origins of Great Ape Intelligence (eds. A. Russon & M. Begun). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 190-209.
2004d. Muehlenbein, M.P., D.P. Watts, & P.L. Whitten. Dominance Rank and Fecal Testosterone Levels in Adult Male Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda. American Journal of Primatology, 64: 71-82.
2005a. Mitani, J.C. & D.P. Watts. Correlates of territorial boundary patrol behaviour in chimpanzees. Animal Behaviour 70: 1079-1086.
2005b. Muehlenbein M.P., Campbell B.C., Watts D.P., Richards R.J., Svec F., Falkenstein K.M., Murchison M.A., Myers L. Leptin and reproductive function in captive male macaques. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 137: 335-341.
2005c. Watts, D.P. Sexual segregation in nonhuman primates. In: Sexual Segregation in Vertebrates: Ecology of the Two Sexes (eds. K. Rukstuhl & P. Neuhaus). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
2005d. Mitani, J.C. & D.P. Watts. Primate hunting seasonality. In: Seasonality in Primate: Studies of Living and Extinct Human and Nonhuman Primates (eds. D. Brockman & C.P. van Schaik). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 215-242.
2006a. Watts, D.P., M. Muller, S. Amsler, G. Mbabazi, & J.C. Mitani. Lethal intergroup aggression by chimpanzees in the Kibale National Park, Uganda. American Journal of Primatology 68: 161-180.
2006b. Watts, D.P. Conflict management by chimpanzees at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda and the “valuable relationships” hypothesis. International Journal of Primatology 27: 1337-1364.
2007. Watts, D.P. Effects of Male Group Size, Parity, and Cycle Stage on Female Chimpanzee Copulation Rates at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda. Primates 48: 222-231.
2008a. Watts, D.P. Scavenging by chimpanzees at Ngogo and contrasts between chimpanzee and early hominin scavenging. Journal of Human Evolution 54: 125-133.
2008b. Watts, D.P. Tool use by chimpanzees at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda. International Journal of Primatology 29: 83-95.
2008c. Liu, W., M. Worobey, B. Keele, F. Bibollet-Ruche, P. Goepfert, M. Santiago, J. Ndjango, C. Neel, S. Clifford, C. Sanz, S. Kamenya, M. Wilson, A. Pusey, N. Gross-Camp, C. Boesch, V. Smith, K. Zamma, M. Huffman, J. C. Mitani, D. Watts, M. Peeters, G. Shaw, W. Switzer, P. Sharp& B. Hahn. Molecular Ecology and Natural History of Simian Foamy Virus Infection in Wild-living Chimpanzees. PLoS Pathogens 4: e1000097.
2009. Watts, D.P. Dominance, power, and politics in nonhuman and human primates. In: Mind the Gap (eds. P. Kappeler & J. Silk). Heidelberg: Springer Verlag, pp. 109-138.
2010. Mitani, J.C., D.P. Watts, & S.J. Amsler. Lethal intergroup aggression leads to territorial expansion in chimpanzees. Current Biology 20 (14): R507-R508
2010b. Muehlenbein, M.E. & D.P. Watts. The costs of dominance: testosterone, cortisal and intestinal parasites n wild male chimpanzees. Biopsychosocial Medicine 4: 21-31; doi: 10.1186/1751-0759-4-21.
2011a. Watts, D.P. Eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweiunfurthii). In: All the World’s Primates (ed. N. Rowe & M. Myers). New York: Pogonias Press.
2011b. Potts, K.B., D.P. Watts, & R.W. Wrangham.. 2011. Comparative feeding ecology of two communities of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in Kibale National Park, Uganda. International Journal of Primatology 32: 669-690.
In press, a. Watts, D.P. Behavioral ecology of the apes. In: The Evolution of Primate Societies (eds. J. Silk, J.C. Mitani, P. Kappeler, R. Palombit, and J. Call). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
In press, b. Watts, D.P. Long-term research on chimpanzees in Kibale National Park, Uganda. In: Long-Term Primate Field Studies (eds. P.M. Kappeler & D.P. Watts). Heidelberg: Springer Verlag.
In press, c. Kappeler, P.M., D.P. Watts, & C.P.E. van Schaik. The value of long-term research on primates. In: Long-Term Primate Field Studies (eds. P.M. Kappeler & D.P. Watts). Heidelberg: Springer Verlag.
In press, d. Kappeler, P.M. & D.P. Watts (Eds.). Long-Term Primate Field Studies. Heidelberg: Springer Verlag.
In press, e. Watts, D.P., K.B. Potts, J.S. Lwanga, & J.C. Mitani. Diet of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda, 1. Diet composition and diversity. American Journal of Primatology.
In press, f. Watts, D.P., K.B. Potts, J.S. Lwanga, & J.C. Mitani. Diet of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda, 2. Tempoiral variation and fallback foods. American Journal of Primatology.
Book Reviews:
1990a. Review of Threatened Primates of Africa, ed. by P.C. Lee, J. Thorback, and E.L. Bennett. International Journal of Primatology, 10: 383-385.
1990b. Gorilla’s silver anniversary: review of The Mountain Gorilla and The Year of the Gorilla, by G.S. Schaller. American Journal of Primatology, 21:69-72.
1990c. Review of Chimpanzee Politics, by F. deWaal. Quarterly Review of Biology, 65:253.
1994. Review of Foraging Strategies and Natural Diets of Monkeys, Apes, and Humans, ed. by A. Whiten and E. Widdowson. Oxford, Oxford Univ. Press. International Journal of Primatology, 5:783-784.
1997. Review of Handbook of Ethological Methods, by P. Lehner. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1996. International Journal of Primatology 18:845-846.
1998a. Review of Ecology of an African Rain Forest: The Conflict Between Logging and Conservation, by T.T. Strusaker. Gainesville, University Presses of Florida, 1996. International Journal of Primatology, 19:195-197.
1998b. Review of Bonobo: The Forgotten Ape, by F. de Waal & F. Lanting. University of California Press, Berkeley. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 13:168-169.
1999. Review of Chimpanzee Politics, revised edition, by F. deWaal. Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University Press. International Journal of Primatology 20:299-301.
2002a. Review of The Mentalities of Gorillas and Orangutans, ed. by S. Taylor Parker, R. Mitchell, & H.L. Miles). American Journal of Physical Anthropology 117: 192-193.
2002b. Review of The Chimpanzees of the Tai Forest, by C. Boesch and H. Boesch-Achermann. Quarterly Review of Biology, 77: 236.
2005a. Review of Field and Laboratory Methods in Primatology, ed. by J. Setchall and D.J. Curtis. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. International Journal of Primatology 26: 1195-1197.
2005b. Review of Animal Bodies, Human Minds, by W.A. Hillix & D. Rumbaugh. N.Y., Kluwer Academic/Plenum. Journal of Mammalian Evolution 12:529-531.
2006. Review of Chimpanzees of the Budongo Forest, by V. Reynolds. Oxford/NY, Oxford University Press. Journal of Mammalian Evolution.
2007. Reviews of World Atlas of Great Apes and Their Conservation, eds. J. Caldecott and V. Miles (Univ. of California Press, 2006), and Primates of Western Uganda, eds. N.E. Newton-Fisher, H. Notman, J.D. Paterson, and V. Reynolds (Springer, 2006). International Journal of Primatology 28:1457-1460.
Papers Delivered:
1977. Resource utilization and activity patterns of Cebus capucinus on Barro Colorado Island, Panama Canal Zone. Annual Meetings, American Association of Physical Anthropologists, Seattle, Washington. (Abstract, American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 46:166.)
1980. Feeding ecology of mountain gorillas. Annual Meetings, American Association of Physical Anthropologists, Niagara Falls. (Abstract, American Journal of Physical Anthropology 52:291.)
1980. Ecology of mountain gorillas. Invited seminar, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Dept. of Anatomy.
1981. Habitat use and social organization of mountain gorillas. Midwest Regional Animal Behavior Society Meetings, Ames, Iowa.
1982. Feeding ecology of habituated gorillas. IXth Congress, International Primatological Society, Atlanta.
1985. Nutritional ecology of mountain gorillas. Fifth Annual Dr. Scholl’s Conference on the Nutrition of Wild Animals in Captivity, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago.
1987. Ecology of the mountain gorilla social system. Invited paper, Annual Meetings, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Chicago.
1987. Comparative ecology of gorillas. Invited paper, Annual Meetings, American Association For The Advancement of Science, Chicago.
1988. Conservation in Rwanda. Invited paper, Annual Meetings, American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquaria.
1989. Mountain gorilla reproduction and sexual behavior. Second Workshop on Fertility in the Great Apes, Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center.
1990. Social relationships of immigrant female mountain gorillas; Gorilla conservation and ecotourism in the broader realm. Annual Meetings, American Association of Physical Anthropologists.
1990. Dominance relationsips among female mountain gorillas. Annual Meetings, American Society of Primatologists.
1991. Female social relationships and female transfer in mountain gorillas. Invited Seminar, Dept. of Anthropology, University of California at Santa Barabara.
1991. Ecology of the mountain gorilla social system. Invited seminar, Dept. of Anthropology, New York University.
1991. Reconciliation in wild mountain gorillas. “Understanding Chimpanzees” conference, Chicago Academy of Sciences.
1992. Reconciliation in wild mountain gorillas; Agonistic interventions in wild mountain gorillas; Implications of political instability for mountain gorilla conservation in Rwanda. XIVth Congress, International Primatological Society, Strasbourg, France.
1992. Ecology of female transfer in mountain gorillas and other mammals. Invited seminar, Dept. of Biological Anthropology and Anatomy, Duke University.
1992. Ecology of mountain gorilla social relationships. Invited seminar, Dept. of Anthropology, University of Illinois.
1992. Socioecology of mountain gorillas. Invited seminar, Dept. of Anthropology, University of Chicago.
1994. Female agonistic relationships and female transfer in mountain gorillas. Invited seminar, Dept. of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin.
1994. Female agonistic relationships and female transfer in mountain gorillas. Invited seminar, Dept. of Anthropology, State University of New York at Buffalo.
1995. The evolution of primate female social relationships. Invited seminar, Dept. of Anthropology, Yale University.
1995. The evolution of primate female social relationships. Invited seminar, Dept. of Anthropology, Univ. of California at Davis.
1996. The evolution of non-maternal caretaking in anthropoid primates. Annual meetings, American Association of Physical Anthropologists.
1996. Long-term habitat use by mountain gorillas. XVIth Congress, International Primatological Society.
1997. Coalitionary mate guarding by male chimpanzees at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda. Annual meetings, American Association of Physical Anthropologists.
1997. Male social relationships and mating behavior in a large chimpanzee community at Ngogo, Kibale Forest National Park, Uganda. Invited lecture, New York Consortium on Evolutionary Primatology, New York University.
1998. Causes and consequences of variation in the number of males in mountain gorilla groups. 1st Gottinger Freilandtage Conference, Deutsches Primatenzentrum, Gottingen, Germany.
1998. Chimpanzee male aggression and sexual coercion at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda. Annual meetings, American Association of Physical Anthropologists.
1998. Variation in male life histories and mating tactics in gorillas and chimpanzees. Invited seminar, Dept. of Biology, Bucknell University.
1999. Behavior and conservation of mountain gorillas. Invited seminar, Dept. of Psychology, Haverford College.
1999. Variation in the behavior and life histories of male gorillas and chimpanzees. Invited seminar, Dept. of Psychology, Haverford College.
1999. Demographic influences on the behavior of male chimpanzees. Invited presentation, SAGA Conference, Japan Monkey Center, Inuyama, Japan.
1999. Demographic influences on the behavioral strategies of male chimpanzees. Invited colloquium, Dept. of Anthropology, Harvard University.
2000. Variation in male chimpanzee social strategies and cooperative behavior. Invited seminar, Max Planck Institute For Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
2000. Chimpanzee predation on red colobus monkeys at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda. (With J.C. Mitani.) Annual meetings, American Association of Physical Anthropologists.
2000. Ecological and social correlates of chimpanzee party size and gregariousness. Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Conference on Behavioral Diversity in Chimpanzees and Bonobos, Seeon, Germany. (With J.C. Mitani & J.S. Lwanga.)
2000. Hunting and food sharing by chimpanzees at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda. Max Planck Institut for Evolutionary Anthropology, Conference on Behavioral Diversity in Chimpanzees and Bonobos, Seeon, Germany. (With J.C. Mitani)
2001. Why do chimpanzees hunt and share meat? Annual meetings, American Association of Physical Anthropologists. (With J.C. Mitani)
2001. Male chimpanzee boundary patrolling and social bonds. Annual meetings, American Association of Physical Anthropologists. (With J.C. Mitani)
2001. Trampling effects and rotational browsing by mountain gorillas. University of Groningen Biological Centre, The Netherlands, Symposium on Plant-Herbivore Interactions.
2002. Interchange of grooming and agonistic support by wild male chimpanzees. Annual meetings, American Association of Physical Anthropologists.
2002. Demographic and social constraints on male chimpanzee behavior. Annual meetings, American Association of Physical Anthropologists. (With J.C. Mitani, J. Pepper, & A. Merriweather).
2002. Hunting behavior of adolescent male chimpanzees at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda. Annual meetings, American Association of Physical Anthropologists. (With H. Sherrow & J.C. Mitani).
2002. Male chimpanzee hunting behavior and cooperation at Ngogo, Kibale National Park. New York Consortium on Evolutionary Primatology. (With J.C. Mitani).
2002. Sexual segregation in nonhuman primates. Conference on “Sexual Segregation in Animals and Humans”, Cambridge University.
2003. Male rank and mating success in an extremely large chimpanzee community at Ngogo, Kbale National Park. Annual meetings, American Association of Physical Anthropologists.
2003. Chimpanzee behavior and human evolution. Invited special lecture, Annual Convention, National Association of Science Teachers.
2003. Hunting, meat sharing, and intergroup aggression in wild chimpanzees. Invited colloquium, Depat. Of Anthropology, University of Connecticut.
2004. Territorial patrol behavior in chimpanzees. Annual meetings, American Association of Physical Anthropologists. (With J.C. Mitani).
2004. Meat sharing by male chimpanzees at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda. Annual meetings, American Association of Physical Anthropologists. (With J.C. Mitani).
2004. Conflict management in chimpanzees and the “valuable relationships” hypothesis. Congress of the International Primatological Society, Torino, Italy.
2004. Meat sharing by chimpanzees at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda. Congress of the International Primatological Society, Torino, Italy.
2004. Cooperation among male chimpanzees. Invited colloquium, Dept. of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania.
2005. Cooperation and competition among chimpanzees. Invited colloquium, Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies.
2005. Lethal intergroup aggression by chimpanzees at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda. Annual meetings, American Association of Physical Anthropologists.
2005. Sexual segregation in nonhuman primates. 4th Annual New England Biological Anthropology Symposium.
2005. What can male chimpanzees tell us about human evolution? Invited colloquium, Southern Connecticut State University.
2005. Cooperation and competition among chimpanzees: mating, meat sharing, and intergroup aggression. Invited colloquium, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut.
2006. Intergroup aggression by chimpanzees at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda. Congress of the International Primatological Society, Entebbe, Uganda (with J.C. Mitani).
2006. The role of television documentaries in great ape conservation. Congress of the International Primatological Society, Entebbe, Uganda
2006. Feeding ecology of chimpanzees at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda. Congress of the International Primatological Society, Entebbe, Uganda (with J.S. Lwanga and K. Potts).
2007. Long-term consistency and variation in male chimpanzee social relationships at Ngogo. Annual meetings, American Association of Physical Anthropologists.
2008. Why do chimpanzees hunt and share food, and what does this say about food transfers in humans? Annual meetings, American Anthropological Association.
2008. Grooming symmetry in male chimpanzee dyads at Ngogo. Annual meetings, American Association of Physical Anthropologists.
2009. Relevance of great ape behavioral ecology to understanding human evolution. Invited panelist, L.S.B. Leakey Foundation 40th Anniversary Conference, San Francisco.
2009. Linearity and strength of male chimpanzee dominance hierarchies at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda (with H. de Vries). Annual meetings, American Association of Physical Anthropologists.
2009. Long-term research on chimpanzees in Kibale National Park, Uganda. VIIth Göttinger Freilandtage Conference, University of Göttingen/German Primate Center.
2010. Langergraber, K., J.C. Mitani, D. Watts, & L. Vigilant. Male-female relationships and reproductive success in wild chimpanzees. Annual meetings, American Association of Physical Anthropologists.
2011. The function of intergroup aggression in chimpanzees. Invited seminar, Dept. of Anthropology, SUNY-Stony Brook.
2011. Decrease in hunting by chimpanzees in response to over-harvesting of red colobus monkeys at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda. Annual Meetings, American Association of Physical Anthropologsts, April 2011, Minneapolis, MN.
2011. The function of intergroup aggression in chimpanzees. Invited seminar, Dept. of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University.
Teaching and Research Assistantship Positions:
Yale University: Dept. of Anthropology, Jan. 1996-present. Courses: Anthropology 116, Introduction to Biological Anthropology; Anthropology 182, Primate Ecology and Social Behavior; Anthropology 203, Primate Conservation; Anthropology 269, Apes and Human Evolution; Anthropology 270, Evolution and Human Behavior; Anthropology 280, Evolution of Primate Intelligence; Anthropology 475b/875, Issues in Primate Behavioral Ecology; Anthropology 509, Anthropological Perspectives on Primate and Tropical Forest Conservation; Anthropology 825, Hunters and Gatherers; Anthropology 849, Primate Models for Human Evolution; Anthropology 851, Topics and Issues in Evolutionary Theory.
Duke University: Visiting Assistant Professor, Dept. of Biological Anthropology and Anatomy, Aug. 1989-Aug. 1994. Courses: BAA 93, Human Origins; BAA 183, Primate Social Complexity and Intelligence; BAA 185, Current Issues in Primatology: behavioral ecology, evolution of social systems, conservation; communication, competition and cooperation, reconciliation, cognition, conservation; BAA 143, Primate Biology; BAA 334, Behavior and Ecology of the Apes; BAA 354, Primate Social Intelligence.
University of Michigan: Visiting Assistant Professor, Dept. of Anthropology, Winter Semester, 1988, 1989, 1995; Courses taught: Anthropology 568, Primate Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology; Anthropology 361, Biology, Culture, and Society; Anthropology 668 Behavior and Ecology of the African Apes.
University of Michigan: Assistant Research Scientist, Dept. of Anthropology, 1985-1989.
Roosevelt University, Chicago: Lecturer, Dept. of Anthropology and Sociology, Winter Semester, 1981. Course taught: Anthro/Bio 333/433, Primatology.
University of Chicago: Teaching assistant to Dr. Jeanne Altmann, Dept. of Biology, Spring Quarter, 1982, for course “Animal Behavior”.
Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago: Instructor, “Natural History and Behavior of Gorillas” (Spring Quarter 1980 and Fall Quarter, 1981); “Human Origins” (Winter Quarter, 1981).
Teaching Interests:
Primate behavioral ecology and social behavior.
Primate cognition and social complexity.
Evolution of behavior and of social systems.
Human origins/Paleoanthropology.
Human behavioral ecology, Evolution and human behavior.
Primate and tropical forest conservation.
Introductory Biological Anthropology
Professional Organizations:
American Association of Physical Anthropologists
American Society of Primatologists
Animal Behaviour Society
International Primatological Society
International Behavioral Ecology Society
Editorial Board, International Journal of Primatology, Primates
Associate Editor, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
Advisory Board, Primate Conservation, Inc.
Great Apes Specialist Group, International Union for the Conservation of Nature
Peer Review Service, 2011:
American Journal of Primatology, Animal Behaviour, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, Current Biology, International Journal of Primatology, Primates, Biology Letters, National Science Foundation, L.S.B. Leakey Foundation, National Geographic Society, Canada National Research Council, Primate Conservation Inc., Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research.
Service, Department of Anthropology, Yale University:
Director for Undergraduate Studies: Fall term, 2000; 2003-present.
Director for Graduate Studies: 2001-2002.
Faculty position search committees: three positions in biological anthropology, two in archaeology, one in linguistic anthropology.
Coordinator, Departmental Colloquium Series, 2001-2002.
Departmental Facilities Committee, 2003-2006.
Promotion/Reappointments Committees: 2004 (two positions), 2005 (one position). 2006-2007 (two positions), 2007-2008 (one position), 2008-2009 (two positions).
University Service, Yale University
Human Subjects Research Committee, Division of the Social Sciences, 1997-1999.
Term Appointments Committee, Division of the Social Sciences, 2000-2002.
Social Sciences Advisory Committee, 2003-2006.
Social Sciences Facilities Committee, 2002-2003.