Chimpanzees

Jorge Perez

Anatomy• Covered by a thick coat of fur• Long arms and short bodies– Arms are longer than legs

• Have no fur on fingers, ears, face, and feet• Both adult male and females have short

white beards• Have the same senses as humans• Able to grasp things with both hands and

feet

Diet• Omnivorous foragers• Generally eat fruit and plants• Also eat insects, small animals, eggs,

and meat, including carrion• Have a varied diet• Usually pick fruits with their hands • Most intense eating period is in the

late afternoon

Classification

• Kingdom: Animalia• Phylum: Chordata• Class: Mammalia• Order: Primates• Family: Pongidae• Genus: Pan• Species: Pan troglodytes, Pan

paniscus

Locomotion

• Use all fours to• Walk on soles of feet and knuckles of

hands• Able to walk up right– Only when carrying something with arms

• Good at climbing trees– Sleep on trees

• Swing from branch to branch

• Communicate to teach the young ones the skills they need

• Communicate about food and mating• Use gestures– Used to indicate needs and emotions

• Have cries that warn other chimps of danger

• They bark loudly to call others for abundance of food

Communication & Vocalization

Life Span

• live about 60 years in captivity• life span in the wild is about 35-40 years• They live much longer in captivity

Habitat

• Tropical rain forests• Forests edges and clearings• Woodlands• Swamp forests• Grasslands in Western Africa• Wet savannas

Groups of Chimpanzees

• Chimpanzee’s live in groups called communities–Range in sizes from of 20-100 chimps

• The size of chimp’s territory is from 2-215 miles squared• Males often depend on the support of

females• Smaller groups change frequently and

combine with other chimps

Tool Used

• Stems• Branches• Rocks• Twigs• Leaves• These are all used for feeding,

drinking, cleaning themselves, or used as weapons

Size

• Adult males are larger than most females.Female:-Height: 2 - 3.5 feet- Weight: 57 – 110 pounds

Male:-3 - 4 feet-90 - 115 Pounds

Playing

• Young ones play a lot• Learning skills they will use as adults• Practice tools, make sleeping nests,

climbing• Food sharing• One does grooming and expects one

back • Wrestle

Predators• Leopards• Humans–Medical research– Cutting down forests– Illegal meat trade

• Throw large sticks and branches at predators

Endangered

• Chimpanzees are endangered.• 2 Million roamed in African forest.• 1oo,000 to 200,000 remain• Two major threats for survival– Loss of habitat– Illegal trade in bushmeat

• May be extinct within 20 years from now

Where do they live?

• Wild Chimpanzees are only found in Africa

• In habit 22 African Countries• From west coast to east coast as east

as Tanzania• Today only five of have significant

numbers

Bibliography

• http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/apes/chimp/

• http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/chimpanzee/ 

• http://www.outtoafrica.nl/animals/engchimpanzee.html

• http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/111627/chimpanzee/225149/Natural-history

• http://www.janegoodall.ca/about-chimps.php

Bibliography Cont’d

• http://www.iearn.org.au/greatapes/chimpinfo.htm

• http://www.chimps-inc.org/page.php?id=aboutchimps