Chimpanzee

Our closest relative

Class: Mammalia (mammal)
Order: Hominidae (human-like mammals)
Family: Pan troglodytes (chimpanzee)

The chimpanzee is more closely related to humans than any other mammal. It ranks 2nd only to humans in intelligence.

The chimpanzee has another close relative called the bonobo or pygmy chimpanzee.

Both species are found only in tropical Africa, mainly West and Central Africa. However Bonobos are found only in the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Chimpanzees enjoy the lush greenery of thick forests but are also found where the forest meets wooded savannas.

In previous times they once inhabited 25 African countries. Now, they are extinct in 4 and nearing extinction in many others.

The ape family
The chimpanzee is the 3rd largest ape after the gorilla and the orangutan. A male stands about 1.5 m tall when upright and weighs about 43 kg. It has a pink to brown face and thick, long, brown-black hair. The face, ears, hands and feet are bare. Like other great apes, chimps do not have tails.

Moving about
Chimpanzees have longer arms than legs. They can move on the ground or through trees. On the ground, they run on all fours, but walk upright with toes turned inwards.

While on all fours, they support the weight of their body on the knuckles of their hands. Chimps are scared of falling from trees and rarely swing by their arms as gibbons and orangutans do.




What's on the menu?
Chimpanzees are mainly vegetarians, eating leaves, roots, and fruits like wild figs. But they sometimes eat birds, small rodents, and insects. Termites are a favourite snack!

Wild chimps spend about 7 hours a day looking for food, either up in the trees or on the ground. Crevices and cracks in logs are searched for insects, and nests are robbed for eggs and chicks.

Chimps' teaparty?
Chimps sometimes use tools for eating: they dip a grass stem into a termite nest and lick off the termites that crawl up the stem. Sometimes they use rocks for breaking open tough fruits.

When food is plentiful, a large group of chimps assembles for a feast. Adult males drum on the roots of trees or on the ground and other chimps join in a loud hooting chorus. This noise can be heard a long way off, attracting other chimps.

Chimps seem to get most of their water from the fruit they eat. They rarely drink and when they do, they dip one hand into the water and lick it. They also crush leaves into a 'sponge' squeeze the water into their mouth.

Conservation concern
In West Africa, chimps are now very rare because most of their forest habitat has been chopped down to make room for farming. Although chimps are still quite common in other parts of Africa, in some areas people enjoy eating chimpanzees and many are killed for food.

These days, logging companies are moving into new areas of rainforest to exploit them for timber. Not only does this destroy the chimpanzees' habitat, it also means that more people can hunt them.

WWF is helping to conserve chimpanzees by working with African governments to create national parks where chimpanzees will be safe.