A survey of nocturnality and risk for savanna chimpanzees at Assirik, Senegal

Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in Senegal may use nocturnality to mitigate hyperthermia risk in semi-arid environments but the degree of nocturnality for such chimpanzees also in sympatry with large carnivores remains uncertain. We compared diel activity among chimpanzees and their potential predators at Assirik in Niokolo-Koba National Park and contextualized these findings relative to other unit-groups in savanna landscapes. From 2015‒2018, we generated a predator inventory using multi-modal methods and monitored the diel activity of chimpanzees and predators with camera traps [N = 2,092 camera trap (CT) days]. From 2015‒2023, we also surveyed for evidence of predation during recce walks. Six potential nonhuman predators occur at Assirik, including lions (Panthera leo), leopards (Panthera pardus), spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta), African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus), Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus), and rock pythons (Python sebae). We documented one suspected case of a predator killing a chimpanzee. Nocturnality comprised 12.7% of CT events for chimpanzees and these events were more concentrated at twilight. Chimpanzees were more active during the day, predators were more active at night, and there was substantial temporal overlap among chimpanzees and potential predators during twilight intervals. Our findings support the hypothesis that savanna chimpanzees in Senegal are active at night in response to the extremely hot environment. We hypothesize that Assirik chimpanzees experience a tension between decreasing hyperthermia and increasing predation risk during nocturnality.