August 6, 2026

Wild chimpanzees, termite season, and the behaviours uncovered at Gombe Stream Research Centre

Photo: Kristen Mosher

Have you heard about termite season? Each year, from October to November, the short rainy season in Tanzania causes large amounts of termites to emerge and fly in swarms.

For the chimpanzees at Gombe, where Dr. Jane conducted her landmark research and made groundbreaking observations, this time of year is familiar and exciting. Some of them, like Glitter here, even work hard to capture the flying termites — the flying treats? — from the treetops.

Information like this is part of what researchers at the Jane Goodall Institute’s Gombe Stream Research Centre have documented for more than six decades now. The ongoing research — of behaviour, of families, of climate, and of the changing forests — continue to deepen and improve our understanding of chimpanzees and the ecosystems that they rely on.

Fun fact: When she conducted her research, Dr. Jane ate termites, too! “I tasted everything the chimps ate,” she told Conan O’Brien when she sat down for his show in 1995.

“When you fry them, they taste like those prawn, little crispy things you have with cocktails, you know. They’re nice. They’re good,” she said. “But I don’t eat them anymore!”