The scientific name for chimpanzees is Pan troglodytes. So, to better understand these remarkable creatures, let’s explore some interesting and surprising chimpanzee facts. In order to improve conservation efforts to protect this endangered species, it’s important that we educate ourselves more on the subject. Her work has highlighted the urgent need to protect chimpanzees from extinction, while also taking into consideration the needs of the local people as well as the environment. Jane Goodall is one of the world’s leading ethologists, famous for studying chimpanzees. Their movements and foraging behaviours also help influence the distribution and diversity of other animal species within their ecosystems.ĭr. With a diet consisting mainly of fruits, leaves, nuts, insects, as well as occasionally meat and eggs, their feeding activities help to disperse seeds around the ecosystem, contributing to the growth and regeneration of plant species. Chimpanzees have also been observed to exhibit emotional expressions such as laughter and gestures of reassurance, which contribute to their social cohesion.Ĭhimpanzees play a vital role in maintaining the balance of their forest habitats. This communication system helps them to share information, establish social hierarchies, and resolve conflicts that arise within the communities. Chimpanzees communicate with one another using various vocalisations, facial expressions, and body postures. Within their communities, chimpanzees engage in complex social interactions, forming strong bonds through social behaviours such as grooming and cleaning one another. Researchers have observed chimpanzees successfully using tools to help them in their day-to-day lives, such as using sticks to pull insects out of the ground or using rocks to crack open nuts. Adult chimpanzees can range from around four to five feet tall, weighing anywhere from 70 to 130 pounds.Ĭhimps are known for their intelligence and remarkable problem-solving abilities. They’re particularly agile at climbing trees and swinging from branch to branch. With their long arms and short legs, chimpanzees normally walk on all fours in a behaviour known as knuckle-walking, though they can also stand and walk upright. As they age, chimpanzees’ foreheads tend to go bald, while their fur often becomes more grey. Younger chimps usually have pinker or whiter faces, which darken when they become adults. Their skin colour is mostly white underneath their fur, although their faces, hands, and feet are all typically black. Belonging to the great ape species, chimpanzees are very closely related to humans, sharing 98.7% of our DNA.Ĭhimpanzees’ bodies are covered in a coat of dark brown or black hair and usually have a short white beard on their chins. These communities are led by an alpha male, who is supported by a group of other males. Lemba, a chimpanzee being rehabilitated at the Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center, lost the use of her legs from polio.Chimpanzees, also known as just chimps, are highly social animals that live in groups with dozens of other chimpanzees, known as communities. There is also always the danger that a chimp with SIV could pass on the virus to a human. There is also new evidence that SIV, previously thought to be benign in chimps, actually affects their reproduction rates and the health of their babies. In 1966, Jane recorded a polio outbreak within a chimpanzee community, which killed and paralyzed many infants and adults. Interaction with tourists and loggers can expose chimpanzees to diseases that they cannot fight, like the common cold or the flu. The Ebola virus that is currently devastating human populations in Africa is also affecting the chimpanzee population. These viruses can easily be passed from species to species. Because we are so genetically similar to chimpanzees, they are often affected by the same viruses that we are.
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