Chapters 6 through 8 Summary and Analysis

Fossey works closely with Group 8, and it's there that she encounters a young male named Peanut. He is the group's youngest male, and one day Peanut comes forward to watch Fossey as she pretends to eat foliage. When he seems to grow bored with watching, she stops eating and begins to scratch her head. He mimics her. She then lays down in the foliage and stretches out her hand. Peanut touches her, then postures, beating his chest, obviously pleased with himself. She often makes the trip between Groups 4 and 8 during a single day.

A new group, Group 9, is soon discovered. The death of a female brings problems to the cohesiveness of both groups. Groups 8 and 9 share an area with fruit trees. Group 8 is now without a female at all. More than three years after the death of that female...