Mycophagy in the Miombo: When Primates Go Full Forager Mode
Our August member meeting will feature a presentation by Noah Siegel
Mycophagy is a widespread yet understudied component of primate foraging ecology, with roughly one quarter of primate species known to consume fungi. Despite this prevalence, little is understood about which fungal species primates target, the nutritional benefits they obtain, or the mechanisms by which they identify edible versus toxic taxa. In this talk, we will explore western Tanzania, and the ecological significance of fungal consumption by Chimpanzee, Yellow Baboon, and Red‑tailed Monkey, where fungi contribute approximately 4% of chimpanzee and red‑tailed monkey diets and 17% of baboon diets!
This is an in-person meeting, free and open to the public.
Noah is one of North America’s foremost field mycologists; he has spent over three decades seeking, photographing, identifying, and furthering his knowledge about all aspects of macrofungi. He travels and lectures extensively across America, following the mushrooms from coast to coast. Noah was the recipient of the 2022 North American Mycological Association’s Award for Contributions to Amateur Mycology. His primary research interest is on the taxonomy and systematics of fungi.He authored, along with Christian Schwarz, Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast, a Comprehensive Guide to the Fungi of Coastal Northern California and Mushrooms of Cascaida, a Comprehensive Guide to Fungi of the Pacific Northwest. His most recent book, Mushrooms of Alaska, with Steve Trudell and Kate Mohatt was released fall of 2025.