The chimpanzee is one of our
closest living relatives-
Chimpanzees are our closest living relatives, sharing more than 98
percent of our genetic blueprint. Humans and chimps are also thought to
share a common ancestor who lived some four to eight million years ago.
Behavior
On two legs, a chimpanzee may reach over 4 feet in height, and weigh
more than 150 lbs. Even though chimpanzees' habitat is often near water,
chimps cannot swim, due to the structure and density of their bodies. A
chimpanzee's senses of sight, taste, and hearing are similar to those
of humans
Chimpanzees live in social communities of several dozen animals, and
can habituate themselves to African rain forests, woodlands, and
grasslands.
Although they normally walk on all fours (knuckle-walking),
chimpanzees can stand and walk upright. By swinging from branch to
branch they can also move quite efficiently in the trees, where they do
most of their eating.
Chimpanzees usually sleep in the trees as well, employing nests of leaves.
Diet
Chimps are generally fruit and plant eaters, but they also consume
insects, eggs, and meat, including carrion. They have a tremendously
varied diet that includes hundreds of known foods.
Chimpanzees are one of the
few animal species that employ tools. They shape and use sticks to
retrieve insects from their nests or dig grubs out of logs. They also
use stones to smash open tasty nuts and employ leaves as sponges to soak
up drinking water. Chimpanzees can even be taught to use some basic
human sign language.
Females can give birth at any time of year, typically to a single
infant that clings to its mother's fur and later rides on her back until
the age of two. Females reach reproductive age at 13, while males are
not considered adults until they are 16 years old.
Although chimps and humans are closely related, the apes have
suffered much at human hands. These great apes are endangered and still
threatened by bushmeat hunters and habitat destruction.
On two legs, a chimpanzee may reach over 4 feet in height, and weigh more than 150 lbs. Even though chimpanzees' habitat is often near water, chimps cannot swim, due to the structure and density of their bodies. A chimpanzee's senses of sight, taste, and hearing are similar to those of humans
Chimpanzees live in social communities of several dozen animals, and
can habituate themselves to African rain forests, woodlands, and
grasslands.
Although they normally walk on all fours (knuckle-walking),
chimpanzees can stand and walk upright. By swinging from branch to
branch they can also move quite efficiently in the trees, where they do
most of their eating.Chimpanzees usually sleep in the trees as well, employing nests of leaves.
Diet
Chimps are generally fruit and plant eaters, but they also consume
insects, eggs, and meat, including carrion. They have a tremendously
varied diet that includes hundreds of known foods.
Chimpanzees are one of the few animal species that employ tools. They shape and use sticks to retrieve insects from their nests or dig grubs out of logs. They also use stones to smash open tasty nuts and employ leaves as sponges to soak up drinking water. Chimpanzees can even be taught to use some basic human sign language.
Chimpanzees are one of the few animal species that employ tools. They shape and use sticks to retrieve insects from their nests or dig grubs out of logs. They also use stones to smash open tasty nuts and employ leaves as sponges to soak up drinking water. Chimpanzees can even be taught to use some basic human sign language.
Females can give birth at any time of year, typically to a single
infant that clings to its mother's fur and later rides on her back until
the age of two. Females reach reproductive age at 13, while males are
not considered adults until they are 16 years old.
Although chimps and humans are closely related, the apes have
suffered much at human hands. These great apes are endangered and still
threatened by bushmeat hunters and habitat destruction.
They can be found discontinuously from southern Senegal across the forested belt north of the Congo River to western Uganda and western Tanzania. Gombe National Park in Tanzania is the first park in Africa specifically created for chimpanzees.
Chimps are losing their homes.
The number of chimps in the wild is steadily decreasing. One of the main causes is the alarming rate at which forests are cut down for farming, settlements, and other activities.The chimpanzee is hunted for bushmeat.
While bushmeat has always been a popular source of dietary protein for local communities, the scale of hunting has increased dramatically, and the activity has become heavily commercialized with much more of the meat now going to urban residents.Like humans, chimps communicate with facial expressions, gestures, and sounds.
It is high time to save them.
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