Cyril C. Grueter
@cyrilgrueter.bsky.social
Associate Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology at the University of Oxford
Primate behavioural ecology and the evolutionary foundations of human nature 🐒🌿🌍📊
Primate behavioural ecology and the evolutionary foundations of human nature 🐒🌿🌍📊
Thanks to the Green Room podcast crew in Kigali for having me! I really enjoyed our conversation about Rwanda, apes and monkeys, conservation, anthropology and so much more. A great conversation with a fantastic team!
September 25, 2026 at 5:41 PM
Thanks to the Green Room podcast crew in Kigali for having me! I really enjoyed our conversation about Rwanda, apes and monkeys, conservation, anthropology and so much more. A great conversation with a fantastic team!
Our preprint on altruism and mate preferences has been getting some attention @oxfordhumsci.bsky.social @oxford-anthro.bsky.social
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/09...
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/09...
September 25, 2026 at 4:15 PM
Our preprint on altruism and mate preferences has been getting some attention @oxfordhumsci.bsky.social @oxford-anthro.bsky.social
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/09...
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/09...
What an amazing day with the Cyamudongo chimpanzee community in Nyungwe National Park, Rwanda
September 25, 2026 at 3:39 PM
What an amazing day with the Cyamudongo chimpanzee community in Nyungwe National Park, Rwanda
Today we searched for Nyungwe’s northernmost known chimpanzee community, Gisovu. Semi-habituated, wide-ranging, and not systematically studied, they’re not easy to find. No luck today but a beautiful, exhausting day in the forest.
September 21, 2026 at 5:10 PM
Today we searched for Nyungwe’s northernmost known chimpanzee community, Gisovu. Semi-habituated, wide-ranging, and not systematically studied, they’re not easy to find. No luck today but a beautiful, exhausting day in the forest.
Great to be back in Rwanda for a chimpanzee research workshop, taking stock of what we’ve achieved, catching up with colleagues and looking ahead to future opportunities and priorities for chimpanzee research and conservation.
September 18, 2026 at 1:50 PM
Great to be back in Rwanda for a chimpanzee research workshop, taking stock of what we’ve achieved, catching up with colleagues and looking ahead to future opportunities and priorities for chimpanzee research and conservation.
New paper! Using an agent-based model, we show that patchy food and bachelor males can bring primate groups together and promote intergroup tolerance.
@oxfordhumsci.bsky.social @oxford-anthro.bsky.social @ceb-uwa.bsky.social
brill.com/view/journal...
@oxfordhumsci.bsky.social @oxford-anthro.bsky.social @ceb-uwa.bsky.social
brill.com/view/journal...
September 5, 2026 at 3:40 AM
New paper! Using an agent-based model, we show that patchy food and bachelor males can bring primate groups together and promote intergroup tolerance.
@oxfordhumsci.bsky.social @oxford-anthro.bsky.social @ceb-uwa.bsky.social
brill.com/view/journal...
@oxfordhumsci.bsky.social @oxford-anthro.bsky.social @ceb-uwa.bsky.social
brill.com/view/journal...
Great to connect with some bright minds in primatology and genomics at Yunnan University!
August 31, 2026 at 9:36 AM
Great to connect with some bright minds in primatology and genomics at Yunnan University!
New Animal Behaviour study: male white-headed langurs produce strikingly regular, beat-like calls. During male–male conflicts, their snorts become even more rhythmically precise, suggesting vocal rhythm may signal competitive quality.
@oxfordhumsci.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@oxfordhumsci.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
August 23, 2026 at 2:29 PM
New Animal Behaviour study: male white-headed langurs produce strikingly regular, beat-like calls. During male–male conflicts, their snorts become even more rhythmically precise, suggesting vocal rhythm may signal competitive quality.
@oxfordhumsci.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@oxfordhumsci.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Our recent study featured in the New York Times
www.nytimes.com/2026/08/18/s...
@ox.ac.uk @oxford-anthro.bsky.social @oxfordhumsci.bsky.social @ceb-uwa.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/2026/08/18/s...
@ox.ac.uk @oxford-anthro.bsky.social @oxfordhumsci.bsky.social @ceb-uwa.bsky.social
Humans Love Having Pets. Seems Like Some Other Primates Do, Too.
We aren’t the only animals that like to take care of other species. A new study finds that the roots of keeping a pet may stretch deep into our primate past.
www.nytimes.com
August 19, 2026 at 3:53 AM
Our recent study featured in the New York Times
www.nytimes.com/2026/08/18/s...
@ox.ac.uk @oxford-anthro.bsky.social @oxfordhumsci.bsky.social @ceb-uwa.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/2026/08/18/s...
@ox.ac.uk @oxford-anthro.bsky.social @oxfordhumsci.bsky.social @ceb-uwa.bsky.social
Something I’ve wanted to do for well over a decade. Fewer than 200 Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys remain in N Vietnam. Could they also occur across the border in China’s Malipo County? We’re now visiting nearby villages to find out if anyone has ever seen or heard these elusive monkeys.
August 18, 2026 at 11:38 AM
Something I’ve wanted to do for well over a decade. Fewer than 200 Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys remain in N Vietnam. Could they also occur across the border in China’s Malipo County? We’re now visiting nearby villages to find out if anyone has ever seen or heard these elusive monkeys.
Always nice to reconnect with the International Centre for Biodiversity and Primate Conservation (ICBPC) crew in Dali.
August 15, 2026 at 7:36 AM
Always nice to reconnect with the International Centre for Biodiversity and Primate Conservation (ICBPC) crew in Dali.
Article in the New Scientist about our paper exploring the evolutionary roots of pet-keeping
@oxford-anthro.bsky.social
www.newscientist.com/article/2583...
@oxford-anthro.bsky.social
www.newscientist.com/article/2583...
What primates tell us about the evolutionary origins of keeping pets | New Scientist
Keeping pets seems to be fairly recent behaviour in the timeline of human evolution. Columnist Michael Marshall turns to the latest research on primates to understand how long we’ve had the impulse to...
www.newscientist.com
August 11, 2026 at 9:22 AM
Article in the New Scientist about our paper exploring the evolutionary roots of pet-keeping
@oxford-anthro.bsky.social
www.newscientist.com/article/2583...
@oxford-anthro.bsky.social
www.newscientist.com/article/2583...
New paper in Current Zoology! Our 10-year study of black-and-white snub-nosed monkeys shows that male takeovers create sex-specific social pressures on mothers and offspring, which likely help reduce aggression, future male competition or infanticide risk. doi.org/10.1093/cz/z...
Maternal and infant behavioral responses to male replacement in a primate multilevel society
Abstract. Male replacement in one-male units (OMUs) can generate strong social pressures on females and offspring, influencing transfer behavior, spatial r
doi.org
August 6, 2026 at 8:36 PM
New paper in Current Zoology! Our 10-year study of black-and-white snub-nosed monkeys shows that male takeovers create sex-specific social pressures on mothers and offspring, which likely help reduce aggression, future male competition or infanticide risk. doi.org/10.1093/cz/z...
My Conversation article explores remarkable friendships between primates and other species-and what they might reveal about the evolution of human–animal companionship. @ox.ac.uk @oxford-anthro.bsky.social @oxfordhumsci.bsky.social @wadhamcollege.bsky.social
theconversation.com/monkeys-keep...
theconversation.com/monkeys-keep...
Monkeys keep pets too – animal specialist on the world of interspecies friendship
It’s not just humans who enjoy interacting with other animal species.
theconversation.com
August 6, 2026 at 12:54 PM
My Conversation article explores remarkable friendships between primates and other species-and what they might reveal about the evolution of human–animal companionship. @ox.ac.uk @oxford-anthro.bsky.social @oxfordhumsci.bsky.social @wadhamcollege.bsky.social
theconversation.com/monkeys-keep...
theconversation.com/monkeys-keep...
And another paper just published! We show that the world's highest-altitude primate, the black-and-white snub-nosed monkey, adjusts its seasonal altitudinal movements by balancing food availability and solar radiation
www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/16...
@oxfordhumsci.bsky.social @ceb-uwa.bsky.social
www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/16...
@oxfordhumsci.bsky.social @ceb-uwa.bsky.social
www.mdpi.com
July 30, 2026 at 3:26 PM
And another paper just published! We show that the world's highest-altitude primate, the black-and-white snub-nosed monkey, adjusts its seasonal altitudinal movements by balancing food availability and solar radiation
www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/16...
@oxfordhumsci.bsky.social @ceb-uwa.bsky.social
www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/16...
@oxfordhumsci.bsky.social @ceb-uwa.bsky.social
New paper!
We explore cases of non-human primates carrying, grooming and forming bonds with individuals of other species and what this might reveal about the evolution of pet-keeping.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
@oxford-anthro.bsky.social @ox.ac.uk @oxfordhumsci.bsky.social
We explore cases of non-human primates carrying, grooming and forming bonds with individuals of other species and what this might reveal about the evolution of pet-keeping.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
@oxford-anthro.bsky.social @ox.ac.uk @oxfordhumsci.bsky.social
July 30, 2026 at 3:21 PM
New paper!
We explore cases of non-human primates carrying, grooming and forming bonds with individuals of other species and what this might reveal about the evolution of pet-keeping.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
@oxford-anthro.bsky.social @ox.ac.uk @oxfordhumsci.bsky.social
We explore cases of non-human primates carrying, grooming and forming bonds with individuals of other species and what this might reveal about the evolution of pet-keeping.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
@oxford-anthro.bsky.social @ox.ac.uk @oxfordhumsci.bsky.social
Back in Rwanda, this time accompanying a group as an expert. Always a privilege to share the world of mountain gorillas and chimpanzees through the lens of my own research. 🦍
July 21, 2026 at 3:07 PM
Back in Rwanda, this time accompanying a group as an expert. Always a privilege to share the world of mountain gorillas and chimpanzees through the lens of my own research. 🦍
New paper out! We found that high-altitude snub-nosed monkeys lose more body mass during the mating season than during winter. Reproduction appears to be even more energetically costly than surviving the cold. 🐒❄️ @oxfordhumsci.bsky.social @ceb-uwa.bsky.social
www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/16...
www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/16...
June 22, 2026 at 5:21 PM
New paper out! We found that high-altitude snub-nosed monkeys lose more body mass during the mating season than during winter. Reproduction appears to be even more energetically costly than surviving the cold. 🐒❄️ @oxfordhumsci.bsky.social @ceb-uwa.bsky.social
www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/16...
www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/16...
It was great to host my old friend Rich McFarland from Nottingham Trent University in Oxford and hear about his fascinating work on body temperature patterns in primates. @oxford-anthro.bsky.social @oxfordhumsci.bsky.social
June 22, 2026 at 5:18 PM
It was great to host my old friend Rich McFarland from Nottingham Trent University in Oxford and hear about his fascinating work on body temperature patterns in primates. @oxford-anthro.bsky.social @oxfordhumsci.bsky.social
Nice to see media coverage of our new Science News feature on our Biology Letters paper. “The persistent threat of altercations may supercharge size evolution in male primates via a kind of chronic cold war.”
www.sciencenews.org/article/prim...
@oxford-anthro.bsky.social
www.sciencenews.org/article/prim...
@oxford-anthro.bsky.social
Territorial conflict may explain male primates’ large size
Male primates may be larger than females partly because of pressure from rival groups, not just competition with males inside their own group.
www.sciencenews.org
May 15, 2026 at 6:28 PM
Nice to see media coverage of our new Science News feature on our Biology Letters paper. “The persistent threat of altercations may supercharge size evolution in male primates via a kind of chronic cold war.”
www.sciencenews.org/article/prim...
@oxford-anthro.bsky.social
www.sciencenews.org/article/prim...
@oxford-anthro.bsky.social
New paper out (Biology Letters, OA): in primates, male-biased size differences are better predicted by between-group competition than by mating system. Time to look beyond the group in studies of sexual selection.
doi.org/10.1098/rsbl...
doi.org/10.1098/rsbl...
May 13, 2026 at 9:30 PM
New paper out (Biology Letters, OA): in primates, male-biased size differences are better predicted by between-group competition than by mating system. Time to look beyond the group in studies of sexual selection.
doi.org/10.1098/rsbl...
doi.org/10.1098/rsbl...
Reposted by Cyril C. Grueter
🌦️ 🐒 Research from @oxford-anthro.bsky.social's @cyrilgrueter.bsky.social found that chimpanzees adapt their nests every night based on environmental cues - suggesting that they could be planning ahead for wet, cool or warmer weather conditions.
www.anthro.ox.ac.uk/article/chim...
www.anthro.ox.ac.uk/article/chim...
Chimpanzees in the wettest part of Rwanda seem to plan ahead for bad weather
www.anthro.ox.ac.uk
May 12, 2026 at 2:11 PM
🌦️ 🐒 Research from @oxford-anthro.bsky.social's @cyrilgrueter.bsky.social found that chimpanzees adapt their nests every night based on environmental cues - suggesting that they could be planning ahead for wet, cool or warmer weather conditions.
www.anthro.ox.ac.uk/article/chim...
www.anthro.ox.ac.uk/article/chim...
Back where it all began-writing my PhD thesis here in the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology at the University of Zurich from 2005 to 2009. Grateful to my supervisor and mentor, Carel van Schaik, for the guidance that shaped my career.
May 5, 2026 at 6:32 PM
Back where it all began-writing my PhD thesis here in the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology at the University of Zurich from 2005 to 2009. Grateful to my supervisor and mentor, Carel van Schaik, for the guidance that shaped my career.
Always a pleasure to visit the Department of Anthropology at the University of Zurich and hear about the exciting great ape research underway. Thanks, Robin and Kat, for hosting me!
May 5, 2026 at 4:37 PM
Always a pleasure to visit the Department of Anthropology at the University of Zurich and hear about the exciting great ape research underway. Thanks, Robin and Kat, for hosting me!
In this paper I argue that xenophilia has deep evolutionary roots (trade, intermarriage, shared defense) and I explain how humans uniquely scale and sustain cooperation across groups.
@ox.ac.uk @oxford-anthro.bsky.social @oxfordhumsci.bsky.social
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
@ox.ac.uk @oxford-anthro.bsky.social @oxfordhumsci.bsky.social
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
May 5, 2026 at 8:28 AM
In this paper I argue that xenophilia has deep evolutionary roots (trade, intermarriage, shared defense) and I explain how humans uniquely scale and sustain cooperation across groups.
@ox.ac.uk @oxford-anthro.bsky.social @oxfordhumsci.bsky.social
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
@ox.ac.uk @oxford-anthro.bsky.social @oxfordhumsci.bsky.social
link.springer.com/article/10.1...