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The behavior of David Greybeard significantly challenged established beliefs regarding chimpanzee diets. Jane Goodall discovered that these primates are not strictly herbivorous, as they actively hunt and consume smaller primate species, including colobus monkeys. Notably, she documented instances of social behaviors such as strong maternal bonds, altruism, compassion, and even violence. Dominant females were observed killing the infants of competing females, and her research from 1974 to 1978 revealed a violent conflict between two chimpanzee groups, now known as the Gombe Chimpanzee War.
Almost Human
Among the remarkable chimpanzees studied by Goodall was Frodo, an alpha male with a temperament quite different from what his name might suggest. Recalling Frodo’s spirited nature, anthropologist Michael Wilson from the University of Minnesota shared how the young chimpanzee frequently disrupted Goodall’s research by playing with her notebooks and binoculars. As he matured, Frodo displayed aggressive behaviors, such as throwing rocks and charging at humans, including two incidents involving Wilson during his first visit to Gombe. In 1989, Frodo even attacked Goodall. However, he eventually lost his status as alpha and softened considerably in his later years, according to Wilson.
Goodall’s international fame soared to the point where she was featured in one of Gary Larson’s Far Side cartoons. In the comic, one chimp finds a blonde hair on another while grooming, prompting the caption, “Conducting a little more ‘research’ with that Jane Goodall tramp?” The Jane Goodall Institute was not pleased and sent Larson a letter, condemning the comic. Goodall herself, however, found it humorous and later contributed a preface to The Far Side Gallery 5. Larson also visited Goodall’s research site in Tanzania in 1988, where he encountered Frodo’s famously aggressive behavior firsthand.
In 1977, Goodall established the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) and wrote more than 27 books, including notable works such as My Friends, the Wild Chimpanzees (1967), In the Shadow of Man (1971), and Through a Window (1990). While her 2014 book Seeds of Hope, co-authored with Gail Hudson, faced initial backlash for containing plagiarism from online materials, the publisher chose to delay its release to allow Goodall to revise the manuscript and incorporate extensive endnotes. Goodall attributed the oversight to her “chaotic note-taking.” Recently, National Geographic released a feature-length documentary exploring her significant contributions, utilizing over 100 hours of previously unseen archival footage.
