Alice Michel

My research investigates a unique signaling behavior – nocturnal, long-distance chest beat exchanges – in wild western lowland gorillas in a community reserve in the tropical peatland forests of northern Republic of Congo. By “eavesdropping” on elusive wildlife species, we can detect clues to their social and ecological lives and better understand their habitat requirements, while working alongside local people in a conservation-critical ecosystem.

I study between-group social interactions and movement in wild western lowland gorillas. In the swamp forest of the Lake Télé Community Reserve, where some of the highest densities of gorillas have been reported, dramatic seasonal flooding structures the pattern of people’s livelihoods, and also alters gorilla habitat and affects their intergroup interactions. My research aims to understand the context, structure, and movement consequences of long-distance, nocturnal chest beat communication in adult male gorillas. While the chest beat is a relatively well-known animal sound, nocturnal chest beat exchanges have not previously been described scientifically. I examine the role of this form of communication in enabling individual identification, mitigating intergroup conflict, and driving between-group spacing and movement patterns from day to day. To do so, I have deployed a network of passive acoustic monitors with the help of team members I hire from the local village. We then use computational methods to detect acoustic signals and triangulate sound source locations, locate gorilla nest sites the following day, and collect data at individual nest sites, including genetic samples.