Chimpanzee

They are members of the family Hominidae, which also includes bonobos, gorillas, orangutans, and humans. Chimpanzees and bonobos are thought to be our closest relatives in the animal kingdom.

Chimpanzees are found in many countries across equatorial Africa. In some places, chimpanzees and gorillas live in the same forest. But chimpanzees and bonobos never live in the same forest. Chimpanzees live in a wide range of habitats, from dry savannahs to forests.

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Characteristics of Chimpanzees

Chimpanzees have compact and muscular bodies. Their arms are longer than their legs. Like all apes, they do not have a tail. Adult chimpanzees have black hair covering their bodies. Infants are born with a tuft of white hair on their rumps that disappears over time. Young chimpanzees have light colored skin on their faces, which darkens as they mature. Wild adult males weigh between 90 and 130 pounds (40 and 60 kilograms). Adult females are slightly smaller. They weigh between 70 and 100 pounds (30 and 45 kilograms).

Chimpanzees usually move on all fours when they are on the ground. But they can also stand and walk on two feet for short distances. In the trees, their hands and feet work together for grasping and climbing.

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Lives of Chimpanzees

Chimpanzees live in communities. Each community includes multiple adult males, adult females, and offspring. A community of chimpanzees may have dozens of members who know each other, but they do not live as one big group. Instead, they form smaller parties that travel together. The individuals in each party may change often. A chimpanzee community lives in a defined territory, which they defend against other communities.

Females begin reproducing in their early teens. They give birth to one offspring about every six years. Chimpanzee relationships, such as those between brothers, or mothers and daughters, may last a lifetime. Some chimpanzees have lived longer than 70 years.

Chimpanzees communicate with each other using a wide variety of gestures, calls, and even drumming on hollow trees. They eat many different types of foods. These include fruits, plants, nuts, and insects. Some chimpanzees hunt and eat meat.

Chimpanzees are very intelligent. They learn from each other, invent ways to solve problems, and make and use a wide variety of tools. In captivity, they have also learned human language, such as American Sign Language.

Chimpanzees and Their Environment

Chimpanzees are currently threatened with extinction. Their greatest threats come from the destruction of their habitats by commercial activities such as logging, and by people hunting them for food. Unless the current trends are reversed, wild chimpanzee populations will continue to decline rapidly.