ISSN 1824 - 2707 volume 12/1 (2016) pp. 243 - 250 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15160/1824-2707/1330 ISBN 978-88-906832-2-0 Annali dell'Università degli Studi di Ferrara Museologia Scientifca e Naturalistica Atti del 7° Convegno Nazionale di Archeozoologia a cura di U. Thun Hohenstein, M. Cangemi, I. Fiore, J. De Grossi Mazzorin Cecilia Veracini, Catarina Casanova University of Lisbon, CAPP – ISCSP How non-human primates and other terrestrial West African mammals were described in the Portuguese literary sources of the 15 th and 16 th centuries La descrizione dei primati non umani e di altri mammiferi dell’Africa occidentale nelle fonti letterarie Portoghesi dei secoli XV e XVI Summary - In the 15 th and 16 th centuries European exploration around the coast of Africa brought new frst-hand information about the newly discovered lands to the attention of the western world. Encounters with new and wild animals were frequently reported by travellers and explorers, and although Europeans’ perceptions were strongly infuenced by cultural and religious prejudices, it is possible to fnd very interesting and accurate descriptions of non-human primates’ and other mammals’ morphology and behaviour. The current work presents the results of a review of many Portuguese travel chronicles of the Age of Discovery, which contain reports of sightings of these mammals. Specifcally, the reports about West African chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) from this period can be considered the product of precise and meticulous observations regarding this primate. In these descriptions, chimpanzees are often compared with human beings (from both cognitive, morphological and behavioural points of view) and/or described as performing human tasks. Reports on the population levels, distribution and behavioural habits of other terrestrial mammals can also be found, including that of elephants (Loxodonta africana) and hippopotami (Hippopotamus amphibius). These descriptions are very realistic and greatly differ from the imagery found in medieval bestiaries and made an important impact on the zoological works of the Renaissance naturalists. Riassunto - L’esplorazione delle coste africane nei secoli XV e XVI portò all’attenzione del mondo occidentale molte informazioni di prima mano sulle recenti terre scoperte. Anche gli incontri con gli animali selvatici furono accuratamente annotati da navigatori ed esploratori. Malgrado la percezione del mondo naturale fosse ovviamente infuenzata da pregiudizi culturali e religiosi, è possibile incontrare accurate descrizioni relative alla morfologia e al comportamento sia di primati non umani sia di altri mammiferi africani. Questo lavoro presenta i risultati di un’analisi condotta sulle cronache di viaggio portoghesi nell’Età delle Scoperte contenenti riferimenti a questi animali. In particolare si osserva come le descrizioni dello scimpanzé occidentale (Pan troglodytes verus) siano molto precise e meticolose. Frequentemente essi sono paragonati agli esseri umani (dal punto di vista cognitivo, morfologico e dal punto di vista comportamentale) o descritti mentre svolgono attività umane. Da queste testimonianze si evincono inoltre informazioni sulla densità di popolazione, distribuzione e comportamento di altri mammiferi terrestri quali l’elefante africano (Loxodonta africana) o l’ippopotamo (Hippopotamus amphibius). Queste descrizioni più realistiche e molto diverse dai bestiari medievali, ebbero un forte impatto sulla zoologia rinascimentale. Keywords: History of zoology; African mammals; Age of Discovery Parole chiave: Storia della zoologia; Mammiferi africani; Età delle scoperte Introduction Although much has been written on the cultural, economic and political consequences of the European expansion in the 15 th and 16 th centuries, the role that animals played in this process has often been underestimated or even misunderstood. Animals were in reality a constant presence in all phases of the exploration and conquest of the new worlds, as demonstrated by the frequent descriptions of animals found in almost all the frst chronicles of the navigators (cf. Ferronha et al. 1993 for review). Some African mammals had already been known to Europe since Greek and Roman times (Bodson 1998), and many of them had been described, often through mixtures of reality and mythology, by ancient natural philosophers and historians (among them Agatharchides, Herodotus, Aristotle, Strabo, and Pliny the Elder) (Kappler 1986). In the Middle Ages, many wild animals were known to live in North Africa and along the Nile. The natures and habits of these beasts were eagerly discussed, and drawing and paintings