The Figan Follow

Day 19: Figan Waits and Mates with Gigi

Date:	July 18, 1974
Start:	06:45 (nest)
Finish:	19:15 (nest)
Duration:	12 hr. 30 min.
Observers:	David Riss and Hilali Matama

Today Gigi led travel and influenced Figan‘s feeding and travel patterns. See in the special report that follows how she did this, but in brief Figan wasted about 1 ½ hours waiting for Gigi under trees while she fed. He copulated with her four times throughout the day, and knew where she was constantly. He showed much patience. They groomed with Gilka, Pallas, Hugo, Faben, Patti, Gigi, and Winkle in Camp, and then left to the muguiza tree where they met up briefly with Humphrey.

Gilka grooms Hugo in camp. Gilka had a permanent fungal infection of her nose. Attempts to administer medication hidden in bananas were unsuccessful.

Goblin, Gigi, Figan, and Faben went off with the others going elsewhere (Patti left with Winkle, and the next day was beaten up early by Humphrey) and arrived at the mnazi tree at Kasakela, where they met Miff. They fed on mnazi, a little msongati, and kitota before retiring. See also the special report on nesting behavior for today as Figan arose early and nested 45 minutes after the others had nested.

ASSR Details. Figan possessive and patient with Gigi … lots of copulations between the two. Goblin had a poor day with Gigi; she arm- threatened him twice when he approached with an erection and branch-waved. Both times he ended up whimpering and/or screaming. No sex.

Several interactions between Goblin and the Beach Troop baboons: Rose (she avoids and screams when Goblin arm-threatens her); Cauliflower (no response to arm-threats); and Asparagus (presents to him; the baboon is a male) after repeated arm-threats. Humphrey arrives and full-open-grin, pant-grunt, bobs to Figan with hair-out, and Figan no response. Figan leaves Humphrey.

Gigi and Figan mating.

Nesting Details. A weird un-nesting and nesting for Figan. He got out of his nest to defecate and urinate at 0644 and waited until 0723 until Faben, Gigi, and Goblin un- nested nearby. This started off the day’s unique travel by Figan, who was constantly waiting for Gigi to finish her foods. The group moved off together after an immediate Figan/Gigi copulation.

At night, Faben nested at 1814 after kitota in Kasakela. At 1816 Figan fast-grunts. Gigi and Figan finish eating at 1818 and travel to Faben’s nest area. Gigi nests at 1825 after sitting in a tree for 4 minutes. Figan lays on the ground and rests. Miff and Goblin nest before 1830.

At 1834 there are many pant-hoots above us in Kasakela and Figan hair-out looking in that direction very excitedly. He wants to go, one thinks subjectively, but Gigi has nested. True to today’s behavior he waits there. He sits and rests on the ground until about 1903 when he starts looking up in the tree for nesting sites (?). He moves to the base of the tree and finally climbs up 5 minutes later at 1915. All pant-hoot and scream as he starts making a nest (Gigi leads it as Figan nests within 5 m of her) and the whole valley comes alive with pant-hoots. Good night, Figan.

Four-Day Block Summary. An uneventful series of follows … things to note was Gigi’s siafu’ing; Gigi’s fully swollen bottom influences travel a bit and Figan shows possessiveness on Day 19 and the following days; Gigi’s arm-threatening of Goblin when he courts her several times; the attack by Figan and Faben on the unhabituated mother- infant pair in Linda; Figan’s often unusual nesting behavior; Patti’s squabbles with Sparrow and Athena; Figan and Faben attack Patti (contact II) in banana excitement. Figan and Faben were constantly together with Gigi, Patti, and Goblin traveling with them often as a group.

Travel associations: number of 5-minute intervals seen with Figan

So, out of the 510 5-min observations over the four days, Figan was with Faben 95% of the time; Goblin 68%; Patti: 65%; Gigi: 80% of the time.

The chimps alternated between the high and the low valleys, eating mnazi and kitota in the lower Kasakela valley, and mshai and magugunwa, a small fruit found high in the valleys, above the forest–grassland mshai berry. On the four days, they visited Upper Kasakela on three of them (including Rocky Peak-Bald Soko area), and Lower Kasakela on all four. They visited Camp on all four days: on Day 16: in early afternoon; Day 17: late afternoon; on Day 18: in early morning; and on Day 19: mid day.

The fully swollen Gigi influenced travel and feeding many times. On Day 16 Figan waited almost 25 minutes on the north bank of Kasakela for Faben and Gigi to finish their kitota. The next morning, Figan left Gigi and the others with Faben to budyankende feed in Linda. They later left Gigi and Patti in KK6 and came to Camp, Gigi-less. They found her again on Day 18 and she stayed with them for the rest of the block.

Gigi really seemed to start using her influence on the afternoon of Day 18; while traveling to a kifumbe tree on Linda Peak, she strayed off from the leading Figan and went to upper Kasakela siafu nests. The males — Goblin, Figan, and Faben — followed her, and Figan and Faben siafu’ed briefly. As they moved off, Gigi took up siafu’ing in Figan‘s area and spent the next 45 minutes there as Figan and Faben waited. Figan grunted at 1629, 1639, 1642, 1651, 1700, 1704, and 1706. They just sat. Figan occasionally branch-waved half-heartedly. Finally she came. There was also another incidence of Figan waiting for her that day. He made sure that she nested before he did.

Figan resting.

On Day 19 Gigi really took over. He waited for her at the following times under the following conditions:

• 0920-0930. While she eats mshai, he wants to follow Faben. He waits for her.
• 1000–1015. While she eats leaves, Figan sits until she comes down.
• 1030–1051. While she eats muguiza on KK6 stream, Figan waits on ground. He grunts at 1033, 1035, 1036, 1042, 1045, constantly looking up.
• 1147–1210. While she eats ngazi, he sits on the ground, looking up and grunts at 1200, 1201, 1204, 1208, and pant-hoot at 1150, 115?, 1202. It seems Figan wants to get to Camp quickly. No branch- wave or other aggressive acts: waits patiently.
• 1740–1754. Waits on ground while she eats msongati.
• 1740–1754. Waits on ground while she eats msongati.
• 1830–1915. Figan waits on ground after Gigi nests for 45 minutes before making a nest 4 m from her.

After waiting for her at these various places, upon her coming down, Figan would lead off, and she would follow. He was very patient for the total of 70 minutes throughout the day. Faben did not show this behavior, feeding in different places. Gigi was not out of Figan’s sight for one minute today, and apparently the same behavior took place the preceding days. On Day 21 at a predation, Figan and Faben waited for 2 ½ hours for Gigi while she ate a baby colobus.