We share 98.8% of our genes with chimps, so no wonder if you feel like a chimp is smiling back at you!
Covered in coarse hair except for their face, ears, palms, and soles, chimpanzees are perfectly adapted to life in the diverse forest habitats that stretch across the African continent. Their natural environments span from the lush rainforests of Central Africa to the dry savannahs of the West, showcasing their remarkable adaptability. The chimpanzee’s diet is as varied as its habitat, primarily consisting of fruits, which make up the bulk of their nutrition. However, they are known to diversify their diet with honey, mushrooms, eggs, insects, and even small mammals, demonstrating their opportunistic and versatile feeding habits.
Chimpanzees are not just survivors; they are innovators and problem-solvers. Their intelligence and resourcefulness are evident in their use of tools, such as sticks to extract termites from mounds, rocks to crack open nuts, and leaves to soak up drinking water. These behaviors highlight their cognitive abilities and their capability to pass on knowledge and skills through generations, a trait once thought to be uniquely human.
Socially, chimpanzees are incredibly sophisticated. They live in what is known as fission-fusion societies, where the size and composition of their groups change over time. This social structure allows them to maintain strong bonds and cooperate in various activities, including hunting and defending territory. Within these communities, chimpanzees establish complex relationships characterized by alliances, hierarchies, and even instances of conflict and reconciliation, mirroring aspects of human social life.
Despite their resilience and adaptability, chimpanzees face significant threats from human activities. Poaching remains a dire threat, with chimpanzees hunted for bushmeat or captured for the illegal pet trade. Habitat destruction and degradation, driven by deforestation, agricultural expansion, and development, further endanger their existence.
Distribution
Angola
Benin
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Central Af. Rep.
Congo-Brazzaville
Côte D’ivoire
DR Congo (Kinshasa)
Equatorial Guinea
Gabon
Ghana
Guinea-Bissau
Guinea
Liberia
Mali
Nigeria
Rwanda
Senegal
Sierra Leone
South Sudan
Tanzania
Togo
UgandaRecent updates
June 2024: According to scientists, wild chimpanzees consume plants with pain-relieving and antibacterial properties to heal themselves.
Jan 2024: An experiment with bonobos and chimpanzees suggests that these great apes remember their friends and family even after being separated for years.
Nov 2023: A team of researchers who have been studying the Ngogo community of wild chimpanzees in Kibale National Park, western Uganda, for two decades has published a report indicating that females in this population can experience menopause and post-reproductive survival.
March 2022: The Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany announced the launch of a new project aimed at studying the social behavior of chimpanzees in the wild. The project will use a combination of field observations and GPS tracking technology to understand better how chimpanzee communities are structured and how they interact with each other.
Jan 2022: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced new regulations that will prohibit the import of chimpanzees and other great apes for use in biomedical research. The regulations will also make it more difficult to obtain permits for the import of these animals for other purposes.
Dec 2021: The African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) released a report highlighting the importance of community-based conservation efforts for chimpanzees. The report focused on the success of AWF’s chimpanzee conservation programs in Uganda, which have involved working with local communities to establish community forests and promote sustainable agriculture practices.
Did you know?
- 2023: different chimps groups have unique “secret handshake”, implying social learning.
- They are opportunistic feeders and sometimes hunt other smaller monkeys too.
- They usually stay in trees but move on the ground both quadrupedally and bipedally.
- They use cognitive maps of the area to visit their favorite food spots repeatedly.
- The exact life span is unknown, they may have nine offspring during their lifetime, but two-thirds of those do not survive beyond infancy.
- The chimp can be almost four times stronger than the same-sized human.
Anything we've missed?
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Terrestrial / Aquatic
Altricial / Precocial
Polygamous / Monogamous
Dimorphic (size)/ Monomorphic
Active: Diurnal / Nocturnal
Social behavior: Solitary / Pack / Herd / Troop
Diet: Carnivore / Herbivore / Omnivore / Piscivorous / Insectivore
Migratory: Yes / No
Domesticated: Yes / No
Dangerous: Yes / No
