Decaying Raphia farinifera palm trees provide a source of sodium for wild chimpanzees in the Budongo Forest, Uganda.
For some years, chimpanzees have been observed eating the pith of decaying palm trees of Raphia farinifera in the Budongo Forest, Uganda. The reasons for doing this have until now been unknown. An analysis of the pith for mineral content showed high levels of sodium to be present in the samples. By...
Main Authors: | , , , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2009-01-01
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Series: | PLoS ONE |
Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC2705788?pdf=render |