Common Chimpanzee

Lore & Background

The chimpanzee is covered in coarse black hair but has a bare face, fingers, toes, palms of the hands, and soles of the feet. It is larger and more robust than the bonobo. The species lives in groups that range in size from 15 to 150 members, although individuals travel and forage in much smaller groups during the day. The species lives in a strict male-dominated hierarchy, where disputes are generally settled without the need for violence. Nearly all chimpanzee populations have been recorded using tools, modifying sticks, rocks, grass and leaves and using them for hunting and acquiring honey, termites, ants, nuts and water. The species has also been found creating sharpened sticks to spear small mammals. Its gestation period is eight months. The infant is weaned at about three years old but usually maintains a close relationship with its mother for several years more.

In Their Own Story

In the forests of equatorial Africa, a young chimpanzee watches its mother as she strips leaves from a twig and inserts it into a termite mound. Withdrawing the stick covered in insects, she eats them, and the infant will learn this skill over years of observation. Nearby, the alpha male settles a dispute with a loud pant-hoot and a display of strength, reasserting his place in the strict male-dominated hierarchy without violence. The group, numbering around 40 members, will split into smaller foraging parties by day, reuniting at night in the safety of the canopy.

Reader's Guide

Chimpanzees are found in the forests and savannas of equatorial Africa, with four confirmed subspecies: the central chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, and Democratic Republic of the Congo; the western chimpanzee (P. troglodytes verus) in Ivory Coast, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, and Ghana; the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee (P. troglodytes ellioti) in Nigeria and Cameroon; and the eastern chimpanzee (P. troglodytes schweinfurthii) in Central African Republic, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, and Zambia. A fifth subspecies, the southeastern chimpanzee (P. troglodytes marungensis), has been proposed but is not recognized by the IUCN. Adult chimpanzees have an average standing height of 150 cm (4 ft 11 in). In the wild, males weigh an average of around 40 kg (88 lb), while females weigh an average of around 30 kg (66 lb). In exceptional cases, certain individuals may considerably exceed these measurements, standing over 168 cm (5 ft 6 in) on two legs and weighing up to 136 kg (300 lb) in captivity. The chimpanzee is more robust than the bonobo but less than the gorilla. It has longer arms than legs.

Did You Know?

• The chimpanzee and the bonobo are the only species in the genus Pan.
• Nearly all chimpanzee populations have been recorded using tools, including modifying sticks, rocks, grass and leaves for hunting and acquiring honey, termites, ants, nuts and water.
• The chimpanzee's gestation period is eight months, and the infant is weaned at about three years old.
• Between 170,000 and 300,000 chimpanzees are estimated across their range, and they are listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List.
• The first use of the name 'chimpanze' is recorded in The London Magazine in 1738, glossed as meaning 'mockman' in a language of 'the Angolans'.