Wildlife and Wildfires: Chimp Behavior and Early Human Implications

How do chimpanzees and other wildlife respond to fire in an East African mosaic–woodland ecosystem?

Dr. Alexander Piel, Associate Professor of Anthropology at University College London, will describe some species’ exploitation of burned landscapes as well as the costs and benefits associated with living with annual fires. These patterns provide insight into how animals adapt to increasingly frequent and widespread fires and highlight fire as a key selective pressure in African ecosystems. Ultimately, these findings offer a comparative framework for understanding how early hominins may have navigated fire-prone environments, shaping the evolutionary context of human-fire interactions.

This event is free, but registration is required here. 

Moderator: Briana Pobiner, paleoanthropologist and educator at Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.

This Zoom webinar with Dr. Alex Piel will air live on December 17th, 2026 as part of the ongoing "HOT (Human Origins Today) Topic" series.

Image caption: Chimpanzees from the Issa Valley, Tanzania, exhibiting a grooming hand clasp.

Image credit: Pascal Gagneux/GMERC