In the silent thickness of tropical forests, certain animal practices still escape the human eye. In the north of the Congo Republic, researchers followed plains gorillas for almost a decade, to highlight an unsuspected eating habit. Through the ground that they penetrate patiently, these primates reveal a relationship with a more complex taste than it seems. The discovery highlights a social and evolving dimension of the food behavior of gorillas, far beyond simple survival.
These observations were made possible thanks to the involvement of Gaston Abea, a tracker from the semi-nomadic Bangombe people, whose traditional knowledge guided scientists towards this hypothesis. For more than twenty years, the latter has been working with the park teams. It was by relying on his knowledge that the first clues of the presence of truffles could be noted.
Contrary to popular belief, gorillas were not looking for small insects but this underground fungus, rare and rich in nutrients. The identification was made thanks to a molecular classification of the fragments found in the excavation places. The park, with an area of more than 3,800 km², houses some 180 gorillas of the western plains, but only certain groups seem to practice this targeted research.
As Popular Science reports, this practice does not seem generalized to the whole population. Certain groups, such as that of Buka or Kingo, have a significant frequency of this behavior. Others, like the Loya-Makassa group, rarely use it. This variability suggests that the origin of this behavior is not only linked to the presence of truffles in the environment.
Food behavior of gorillas influenced by the group
Beyond the simple search for food, this quest for truffles also reveals deeper social dynamics. An adult female, transferred from a group little fond of truffles to another group where this practice is common, gradually adapted her behavior to that of her fellows.
This phenomenon of imitation and integration suggests a form of social transmission of the practice. Researchers see it as possible that the food behavior of gorillas can evolve according to interactions between individuals, regardless of the availability of resources.
This type of immersion learning echoes other observations carried out in bonobos, which had led to the discovery of a new kind of truffle in 2020, hysterangium bonobo, according to the data reported in the original study.
Finally, this discovery had a direct impact on local conservation policy. The authorities have moved a tourism construction project in the Djéké triangle area so as not to disturb this emerging eating behavior, now considered a cultural element in its own right. This turning point underlines how much the integration of local knowledge and field observations can modify our fauna preservation strategies.
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