The chimpanzee is part of the Hominidae family, along with humans, gorillas, and orangutans (collectively called the great apes). Chimpanzees are found in rainforests and savannas of equatorial Africa.
They live in social groups that include a dominant male, females, and their offspring.
Chimps may look like monkeys, but they belong to the ape family.
Did you know that some were trained to use sign language, for instance, which was a landmark in the field of animal communication research.
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Chimpanzee Facts for Kids
- Chimpanzees are mammals
- They have long arms and short legs
- Their natural habitat is tropical forests and woodlands in Africa.
- They have nearly the same DNA as humans.
- They are highly social creatures.
Why Are Chimpanzees Endangered?
They are threatened primarily by the destruction of their habitat, poaching, and disease.
Their habitat has been disappearing at an alarming rate. For example, over half of the habitat in Uganda has been lost in the past two decades due to fragmentation and degradation.
Only between 100,000 and 250,000 remain in the wild.
What types of food Do Chimpanzees eat
Did you know that chimps love eating so many different kinds of food?
They eat a variety of food, including fruits, vegetables, leaves, flowers, and seeds. They also occasionally eat eggs, insects, honey; there have even been reports that they hunt smaller animals such as monkeys.
What Do Chimpanzees Look Like?
Chimps typically have a human-like build with intelligent, expressive, and curious faces. They are covered in short fur (except for their face, fingers, toes), and the males generally have squarer jaws than females
Chimps are black or brown with a lighter-colored face that turns gray beginning at about age 40.
They have long arms that give them an almost human appearance; however, they are not as well proportioned as humans.
Their ears also tend to be different than ours because they have a flap of skin at the front to help control their body temperature by keeping it cool when they want to stay still, like on a warm day, for example.
How Big Do Chimpanzees Get?
They are long-limbed animals that can weigh up to 140 kilograms. The males of the species can grow taller than 2 meters.
How Much Does A Chimpanzee Weigh?
A Chimp typically weighs up to 100 pounds. The average weight for male chimps ranges from 66 to 121 pounds with an average height of between 3ft 5in and 4ft 1in, while females are considerably smaller, weighing less than 44 pounds on average and ranging in height from 2ft 11in to 3ft 6in.
How Long Do Chimpanzees Live?
They live in the forested regions of Western and Central Africa and can be found in Gabon, Congo, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Nigeria, and Uganda.
Their lifespan is about 39 years
How Do Chimpanzees Communicate?
They communicate by body language, touch, vocalizations, and facial expressions.
How Do Chimpanzees Sleep?
Like us, they sleep in a variety of ways, from sleeping very little to sleeping for up to 16 hours daily. They sleep less than humans do, but more than some other mammal species do.
Sleeping chimpanzees are mostly up in trees or on rocky surfaces, sometimes curling into balls.
When they are asleep, they go through five stages of sleep. These stages are rapid eye movement (REM), non-REM, light sleep, deep sleep, and REM again.
Their sleeping positions range from lying on their backs to lying on their stomachs.
During the day, in between periods of eating and activity, chimpanzees rest for short periods of time while sitting up. They also rest in the same place every day.
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You’ll find them in the forest and a variety of habitats, such as woodland areas and dry savannahs
They are humans’ closest living biological relatives. From DNA studies, we learn that chimpanzees are equally related to humans as they are to gorillas.
They have opposable thumbs that allow them to hold and use tools. A few populations are known to use simple tools in the wild.
Their pink lips are hairless, and their nostrils have valves that help them breathe while they sneeze or drink.
They live in groups of 50 of up to 100 individuals. They are very intelligent and social animals.
They are highly territorial and mark their territory with urine and secretions.
They are known to eat meat. They will kill and eat monkeys, other primates, small antelopes, and porcupines.
A chimp can use tools, including twigs, branches, rocks, and sticks.
They are known for their use of sign language. They are able to use gestures to communicate with each other and to ward off predators.
Predators include leopards, crocodiles, lions, hippos, and wild dogs.
They are found in many places around the world, including Kenya, Tanzania, and Cameroon.
Chimpanzees, as with many other species of the genus “Pan,” are listed in CITES Appendix I. This means they may not be kept in captivity.
They are listed as endangered, but they are resilient creatures, and conservationists are still hopeful for the future of these beautiful animals.
Female chimps give birth to 4 to 6 young throughout their lifetime.
The female chimpanzee devotes much of her time to taking care of her young. Baby chimps are held close to their mothers for the first three months. Did you know that these baby chimpanzees are solely raised by the mothers until they are mature enough to look after themselves?
They love grooming each other and removing bugs, dirt, and dead skin from each other’s hair with their fingers.
