Killers Like Us: Chimpanzees
This pack hunter is your own next-of-kin. But some of our closest cousins are killers who can eat up to a ton of meat in a year.
Transcript
Narration:
But this pack hunter is your own next of kin. Chimpanzees.
They share more than 98 percent of our DNA. That makes them our closest cousin.
Chimps were once considered strict vegetarians. But not any more.
They are one of nature's most cunning killers.
In some parts of Africa, a chimp will eat a ton of meat a year.
Like us, they have complex sounds for communicating.
This chimp gives the signal that it's time to hunt.
Hunting parties like this one may hold up to three dozen members...and their search could last up to four hours.
They hunt 25 species-including small antelope and wild pigs.
But they've found their favorite prey: Red colobus monkeys.
Here's where brainpower pays off.
They take positions in the treetops, surrounding the monkeys.
With the escape routes cut off, the real hunt is about to begin.
Male monkeys will actually fight back.
But it's David versus Goliath, without the slingshot.
The chimp outweighs it six to one.
Youngsters and mothers are split up...leaving easy pickings.
Chimps have sharp teeth.
But to kill prey, chimps use gravity, hurling their prey with lethal force against a hard surface.
Half a dozen monkeys might be killed in a single attack-but usually just one.
Big males dominate the group, so they eat first...just like the lions.
Unlike lions-and like humans-males share their meal with family and allies.
