Research at TCP

Evolution of Brain Connectivity

Language, complex tool use, theory of mind. How have the brain structures evolved supporting these typically human characteristics? What is the starting point?

Ape Attachment & Early Life Adversity

Early life adversity, like loosing your mother, has harsh effects on survival and reproductive success. We investigate these effects in chimpanzees - very social animals with an very slow life history.

Research Collaborations

Researchers from other institutions are welcome to conduct research in Tai using our infratrsuture or use the collections of TCP under a collaboration agreement: a large number of people on many different topics have done so already.

Collections & Ressources

Several collections resulting from the last 40 years of research at TCP are available, including over 60 group years of behaviour, more than 50.000 frozen fecal and urine samples, almost 100 chimpanzee skeletons, and much more.

Behavioural Ecology & Cognition of wild chimpanzees

Taï chimpanzees show a vast variety of 'typically' human behaviour: food sharing, cooperative hunting, tool use, culture, adoptions of orphans ... we can learn about our own evolution by observing them.

Sociality & Health in chimpanzees

Close social bonds promote health, reproductive sucess and longevity in many social primates. We investigate the proximate mechanisms and the ultimate outcomes of this link in Taï chimpanzees and sooty mangabeys.

Pan & Pan Comparison

Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and bonobos (P. paniscus) are human's closest living relatives. To understand human evolution we need to understand how the Pan species differ and what has caused this difference.

One Health & Zoonotic Diseases

Many human pathogens find their origin in animals. The closer the genetic relationship the easier pathogens than can jump the species difference. This makes research on chimpanzees and their habitats such so important.