Goodall, Jane (1934-…), is an English zoologist who studies the behavior of animals. She became known for her studies of chimpanzees. She has also worked to ensure that chimps survive in the wild. Goodall began her research in 1960 at what is now Gombe Stream National Park in northwestern Tanzania. She won the trust of many chimpanzees through daily contact with them. She observed them at close range and wrote detailed reports.
Before Goodall’s research, scientists believed that chimpanzees ate chiefly fruits and vegetables. According to this theory, chimps only occasionally added insects and rodents to their diet. But Goodall found that chimpanzees also hunt and eat larger animals. Their prey includes young monkeys and pigs. She also discovered that they make and use tools more than any other animal except human beings. Goodall observed them stripping tree twigs and using the twigs as tools for catching termites. She also observed one group of chimpanzees kill off another group for no obvious survival reason. Goodall’s research surprised most naturalists because it suggests that hunting, tool use, and “warfare” are not unique to human beings.
Valerie Jane Goodall was born on April 3, 1934, in London. She earned a Ph.D. from Cambridge University. Her writings include My Friends, the Wild Chimpanzees (1967), In the Shadow of Man (1971), The Chimpanzees of Gombe (1986), and Through a Window (1990). She has also produced numerous films on the Gombe chimpanzees. In 2003, Goodall was made a dame commander of the Order of the British Empire and became known as Dame Jane Goodall.
