Chimpanzee Facts

Chimpanzee Facts

1. Chimpanzees are found in 21 African countries. 

2. At the beginning of the 20th century, nearly 2 million chimpanzees populated African forests.  Today, that number has dwindled to around 150,000.

3. There are 2 species of chimpanzees, the common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) and the bonobo (Pan paniscus).  The bonobo is also referred to as the pygmy chimpanzee, although its size does not differ greatly from that of the common chimpanzee.

Bonobo

4. The name bonobo probably “stems from a mispronunciation of Bolobo, which, painted on a crate, was the name of the town in Zaire from where the first specimens were taken” 

5. The average size of an adult male chimpanzee is four feet (standing upright) and 90 - 115 pounds.  Adult females are slightly smaller.  The male of the chimpanzee weighed 120 pounds at age 20. At birth, chimpanzees only weigh 2 to 4 pounds!

6. Chimpanzees can live up to 50 years in the wild.  Average life spans of chimpanzees in captivity are slightly longer.

7. Chimpanzees are omnivores.  They like to eat fruits, buds, seeds, blossoms, insects, and even small mammals.  Chimpanzees have been known to be successful hunters and share their kill with other members of their communities.

8. Biologically, chimpanzees are more closely related to humans than they are to gorillas.  We share close to 99% of the same DNA.

9. Chimpanzees’ arms are longer than their legs.  This characteristic makes it possible for them to reach out to fruits growing on thin branches that can’t support their weight. The chimpanzee has arms that reach past its knees. The chimp has feet that act like hands.

10. Chimpanzees can walk upright for short distances if their hands are full, but they usually use a "knuckle walk" - with the bottoms of their feet and the knuckles of their hands making contact with the ground. 

11. Chimpanzees have opposable thumbs and opposable big toes to help them grip.

12. Like human babies, infant chimpanzees rely on affectionate physical contact for healthy development.

13. Chimpanzee young are dependent on their mothers until age 7.

14. Grooming is one of the most important social behaviors in chimpanzee communities.  It helps them maintain - or even improve - friendships!

15. Chimps are capable of demonstrating emotions such as joy and sadness, fear and despair, and love and empathy.

16. Chimpanzees don’t have the power of vocal language, but some chimps in captivity have been taught more than 300 signs in American Sign Language!

17. Like a human, the chimpanzee has a high degree of intelligence.  It can solve more problems then any animal, except a human.  These problems usually associate with food gathering.  The chimpanzee uses a vast number of tools.  Chimps will make a reed tool that extracts insects from their mounds.

18. Chimpanzees use and manufacture tools.  Objects may be used in the following ways: 

19. Sticks are used to investigate objects the chimps cannot reach.

20. Leaves act as sponges to gather rainwater from holes in tree trunks when the chimps cannot reach the water with their lips.

21. They also use rocks to smash the outer layers of hard fruits.  Lastly, chimps use different objects to hurl and catch different prey. 

22. In the evening, chimpanzees build sleeping nests of twigs and branches bent together.  Nests are built in trees usually at a height of 3 - 30 feet.

23. Chimps have opposable thumbs and thumb-like big toes. They can grip with both their hands and their feet when climbing. 

24. A chimp’s arms are longer than its legs, an adaptation that helps them move easily through the treetops.  The process of swinging through the trees from branch to branch is called brachiation.   

25. Chimps usually walk on their knuckles and the soles of their feet.  They are also capable of walking on two legs.   

26. Chimpanzees, like humans, have full color vision.   

27. Chimpanzees have been taught American Sign Language.  A chimp named Washoe became famous for this ability.

28. The chimpanzee sleeps and eats in the canopy layer of the rainforest and can live up to 3048 meters above the ground. Everyday the chimps are building themselves new nests to stay in.