Chimpanzee Pan troglodytes
Humans have about 98% of our DNA in common with chimpanzees, making them one of our closest living relatives in the animal kingdom.
Chimpanzees live in a variety of habitats, including moist or dry forests and the forested savannahs of Equatorial Africa. These apes are omnivorous, eating everything from leaves and fruits to insects, birds and even other primates.
The chimpanzee in a nutshell
- eats
- insects, fruits, seeds, eggs, small mammals
- inhabits
- Central Africa
- excels at
- intelligence
Irresistible females
When a female is fertile, the area around the genitals and hindquarters swells and turns pink, making her irresistible to males. Young males may mate with her early in her cycle. The chance of fertilisation is small at that time, but it enables the young chimpanzees to gain experience. Just prior to ovulation, when the swelling is at its most prominent, the dominant male approaches the female to mate. The female also plays an active role in this by becoming more particular and favouring only one or two of the higher ranking males. The chimpanzee’s gestation period is 7 to 8 months.
Tools or cutlery
Chimpanzees are one of the few animal species that use tools. Examples include sticks, which they use to extract termites and ants from their nests, and stones, which some chimpanzees use to crack nuts.
Favouritism
Male chimpanzees form mutual friendships or sometimes even ‘gangs’. Rivalries between two groups can get very heated and even lead to ‘war’, in which the weaker group is attacked and sometimes wiped out. Chimpanzees lead a very complex social life within their community, and use a variety of facial expressions, sounds, body positions, hugs or tactics in their interactions.
Endangered
Chimpanzees are endangered due to habitat loss and being hunted for ‘bushmeat’, and their illegal capture and sale as pets. Because of their similarity to humans, chimpanzees are also susceptible to a number of human diseases. For example, there have already been a number of Ebola outbreaks among chimpanzees.
The chimpanzee has been adopted by Canon Business Center The Hague, Fransen & Kroes Makelaars, the OLVG and Beveco Gebouwautomatisering B.V.