Britannica Sources used in this answer

How do chimpanzees hunt monkeys and other mammals?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

A common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) sits on a rock holding a long blade of grass in its mouth, with dense green foliage in the background. — chimpanzee The West African, or masked, chimpanzee (*Pan troglodytes verus*) is a critically endangered subspecies of chimpanzee.

Chimpanzees are primarily vegetarian, but they are known to hunt and kill various mammals, including monkeys, duikers, bushbucks, and wild pigs.1

They employ both solitary and group hunting strategies to secure this prey. When hunting in groups, chimpanzees utilize complex social strategies, including cooperation, to stalk and kill their targets. This cooperative behavior is part of a broader repertoire of social strategies that also includes sharing meat among group members, sometimes in exchange for mating opportunities.123

When consuming prey, particularly juveniles, chimpanzees have been observed to crack open the skull to eat the brain first. While they are highly intelligent and use a wide variety of tools for tasks such as fishing for termites or cracking nuts, hunting for mammals is a distinct behavioral practice that supplements their largely plant-based diet.415