PubMed · 2026-06-18
Groups of colobus monkeys in Ghana actively compete over food trees that happen to be producing young leaves, fruits, or seeds at the moment of conflict — and winning groups feed more freely on those trees afterward, confirming that intergroup fights are a direct contest over peak-phenology food.
Contested trees were producing young leaves, fruits, or seeds significantly more often than the background rate of those resources across all monitored trees in the area.
Female monkeys were more likely to feed on the specific contested tree during and immediately after an encounter than on other trees they were already near.
Winning groups showed elevated feeding rates after encounters; losing groups did not — with no difference in feeding rates before or during the conflict itself.