Jill Pruetz

Jill Pruetz is a Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Texas State University. Her research focuses on primate socioecology, particularly chimpanzee behavior in savanna habitats. She leads the Fongoli Savanna Chimpanzee Project in Senegal, examining how environmental pressures shape ape behavior and inform understanding of early hominins. Pruetz holds a B.A. from Texas State University (1989) and a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Illinois (1999). She has conducted fieldwork across Kenya, Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica, and Peru, and co-founded the non-profit Neighbor Ape to conserve chimpanzees and support local communities.

Her research emphasizes tool use, hunting behavior, and conservation challenges faced by savanna-dwelling chimpanzees. Recent work explores how these primates adapt to anthropogenic threats like mining and habitat fragmentation. She pioneered field schools at Costa Rica’s El Zota Biological Field Station and integrates community engagement into conservation efforts. Over 30 years of fieldwork have produced insights into chimpanzee nesting ecology, dietary adaptations, and social structures at range edges.

Publications highlight innovations in primate archaeology, thermal imaging for behavioral studies, and seed dispersal roles of chimpanzees. Her work bridges ecological, evolutionary, and applied conservation research, often using interdisciplinary methods like stable isotope analysis and camera trap technology. Pruetz actively promotes science communication through blogs, social media, and collaborative projects with international conservation organizations.