A Chimp's Life

Order: Primates
Family: Pongidae
Genus: Pongo
Species: troglodytes

Chimpanzees share all but 2 percent of their genes with us. Some biochemical studies suggest that humans and chimps diverged from a common ancestor as early as 5 million years ago. Most research on cognitive abilites among the great apes has focused on chimps, and so far, studies point to a level of cognitive -- and some argue cultural -- sophistication uncommon in the non-human world.

A young chimpanzee. Photo: Jack W. Bradbury

• The preferred habitat for chimpanzees are the rain forests of what used to be Africa's equatorial forest belt. Deforestation has nearly eliminated the belt and only a few patches remain. Chimps have adapted to the loss, spreading out to drier forests and in some instances, savannas dotted with patches of forest.

• As many as 1 to 2 million chimpanzees lived in Africa at the turn of the last century. But habitat loss, hunting and poaching have reduced that number to about 150,000 chimps today. Chimps can be found in 21 countries ranging across West and Central Africa, including Rwanda, Uganda and western Tanzaniza. But the bulk of the population is concentrated in just a few countries.

• The black-haired apes have arms that are longer than their legs, allowing them to grab fruit growing on branches too thin to support their weight. Like orangutans, chimps can swing through the trees, but their preferred method of travel is walking on the ground.

• Captive chimps have lived for more than 60 years, but wild chimps seldom live longer than 50 years.

• Chimps are omnivores, eating many kinds of fruits, nuts, seeds, insects and occasionally medium-sized animals. This lack of a specialized diet, unlike that of orangutans, allows them to live in a variety of habitats.

• Chimps communicate with each other using a wide variety of calls, postures and gestures. They use calls to identify who they are, to tell each other where food sources are, and also to alert others to danger.

• Chimps are social creatures, living in communities made up of 15 to 120 animals. Communities are split into very fluid subgroups whose membership may change by the hour. Females often migrate to a new community in their adolescence, while males rarely leave the community of their birth. Chimps usually stay with their mothers for 5 to 7 years before striking out on their own.

• Chimps spend a good part of their time grooming each other, a social behavior vital to maintaining good relationships. Social grooming sustains or improves friendships and also calms nervous or tense individuals.

Source: Jane Goodall Institute