By Serge K. Soiret, GAP correspondent in West Africa, from Ivory Coast

Very early the morning, we move into the forest to the research of the chimpanzees. After several hours of walk and listening, we finally find them.

We are in the season of Sacoglottis gabonensis at TaiNational Park. The chimpanzees appreciate these fruits very much. With variable dimensions, they can reach until 4,53cm wide and 4,68cm length. 

The nut often contains 1, 2, 3 or 4 oleaginous almonds according to the size of the fruit. This almond is very appreciated by the chimpanzees. Before breaking the nut of Sacoglottis gabonensis, they eat the pulp several times to extract the juice. Pulp is then thrown and the nut will be broken later when it is dry. 

The breaking will be done with a wooden hammer or stone and the anvil can be either a stone, the root of the tree producer or the root of another tree. Eribroma oblongum is another fruit which the chimpanzees also appreciate. Perched in the tree, they can spend 2 hours to eat these spirited fruit before leaving.