Endangered Status Endangered More. Latin name Scientific name Pan troglodytes spp. Population Population , to , Species news. Four subspecies have been identified, based on differences in appearance and distribution: Western chimpanzee P. There is a wide range of behavioural differences between groups from different regions, so the loss of any one group represents a loss of cultural as well as biological heritage. Physical description The characteristic chimpanzee shape includes arms that extend beyond the knees, opposable thumbs, and a prominent mouth.
The skin on the face, ears, palms, and soles of the feet is bare, and the rest of the body is covered with brown to black hair. Chimpanzees usually move on the ground, although during the day they mostly stay in trees, where they also sleep in makeshift nests made with vegetation. This species walks "on all four", but individuals can also walk on their legs for more than a kilometre.
Young individuals sometimes swing from branch to branch. Chimpanzee Pan troglodytes mother with youngster, captive, Chimfunshi Orphanage, Zambia.
Living in communities Chimpanzees are found in savanna woodlands, grassland-forest mosaics and tropical moist forests, from sea level to about 3,m in elevation.
Social structure Chimpanzees are highly social animals. Their communities consist of loose and flexible groups of males and females fusion-fission societies within a fixed home range, led by a dominant male.
Members join and leave these communities freely, depending among other on their reproductive status and the availability of resources. Apart from the dominant leader, there are also groups of individuals with some level of authority.
Communities of about 50 individuals each have been reported in forest, woodland and savanna habitat, but overall size range is around Subgroups may include solitary individuals or diverse groups of both sexes and all ages. These aggregations are temporary and constantly change in composition, regardless of gender and age. Life cycle Breeding occurs throughout the year. Following a gestation period ranging from and days, females give birth to a single young, and occasionally twins, every years.
Of these offspring, about three will survive. For the first 6 months, the young is carried around clinging to its mother's underbelly, and after that it rides on its mother's back. It weans at 3. Although chimpanzees reach sexual maturity at about 7 years, females do not produce offspring until they reach years of age. Chimpanzees may live until they are over Chimpanzees eat with their hands, which they also use to throw objects at enemies and to create tools.
Notably, they will poke a stick into a termite mound to feed on the insects, and crack nuts open. The animals forage during the day for hours, with peaks of activity in the early morning and late afternoon. Depending on the fruiting times of the plants they feed on, activities may shift seasonally. Common Chimpanzee: Pan troglodytes. Chimpanzees stand erect at Skin color ranges generally from pale brown to black skinned, and their bodies are covered with black hair.
Juvenile chimps can usually be identified by paler faces and white tufts of hair on the rump, which they lose around the age of 5. The bonobo Pan paniscus [2] , sometimes referred to as the pygmy chimpanzee, is now almost always recognized as its own species, though very closely related to the common chimpanzee. Although it is smaller than the common chimp, the former name is thought to refer to the term used for Africans that share the bonobo range. Chimpanzees have arms that are about 1. They are brachiators, meaning they are able to travel by swinging across tree limbs and branches.
Their long hands and fingers and short thumbs, able to curl around branches, are useful in this mode of travel. Chimpanzees are also highly terrestrial.
They are generally knuckle walkers, but individuals occasionally walk bipedally, often during displays of aggression or intimidation.
Chimps live to years of age. During the rainy season, they may suffer from respiratory diseases, and at any time may be plagued by conditions also suffered by humans, such as gastrointestinal problems, skin ulcers, goiters, and osteoarthritis. A polio epidemic spread to and decimated the chimp population at the Gombe Stream National Park in the s.
These diseases, as well as infections resulting from injury, can be lethal. Chimpanzees are omnivorous, but eat mainly fruit and vegetation. Researchers have found that chimpanzees prey upon other monkeys for meat; chimp males cooperatively hunt larger primates, such as colobus monkeys and baboons, as well as other mammals.
Chimpanzees have high cognitive development. It is widely known that wild chimpanzees modify tools; they use them as fishing sticks, napkins, sponges and hammers. People indigenous to the areas in which chimps are found use the same plants that chimps do to treat illnesses such as stomachache, headaches, and parasitic infections. To further support this theory, chimps have been observed using particular plants at times when the medicinal value of the plants would be high, such as times of the year when parasitic infections are common, or after an individual chimp has appeared to be ill.
In the wild as well as in captivity, chimps are known to acquire information as a result of experience. They problem solve, can abstract and generalize, can plan ahead and remember past events. There are three recognized subspecies of the common chimpanzee, all of which are native to the Africa. Throughout this article, all three subspecies are collectively referred to as chimpanzees.
Chimpanzee habitat is mainly tropical rainforest, mixed forest-savanna, and mountain forest. When at rest, during night or day, individuals almost always rest in the trees.
Chimps make beds or nests, always newly constructed. They are made from leaves or other forest materials, and can include a covering on top and a platform on bottom.
Other than mothers and their offspring, individuals generally sleep alone. Unfortunately, some people keep them as pets. Taking them from their natural habitat has caused a decline in their populations. People also hunt chimps for food bushmeat or to protect their crops from being eaten by hungry chimps.
These conditions, plus loss of habitat, have resulted in the chimpanzee being endangered. By supporting San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, you are our ally in saving and protecting wildlife worldwide. Weight: Females 70 to pounds 32 to 45 kilograms ; males 90 to pounds 40 to 55 kilograms. When they are happy, chimpanzees make a grunting sound. A toothy "grin" actually indicates fear or anxiety. Main menu. Search form Search. Pan troglodytes. A young chimp rides piggyback. Youngsters must stay with their mother until age seven before they can survive on their own.
Sounds bonk. Some observers have noted chimpanzees feeding on medicinal plants when they are ill or injured. Unlike most other wildlife, chimpanzees can recognize themselves in a mirror. Calla Lily.
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