Great Ape Facts: Chimpanzee

The Chimpanzee(Pan troglodytes) also known as Common Chimpanzee, Robust Chimpanzee, or simply Chimp. Is a great ape classified in the Mammalian order Primates and family Hominidae.

Physical Characteristics

A Chimpanzee’s body is covered in fur except for the face, fingers, toes, palms of the hands, and soles of the feet. The hair of a Chimpanzee is typically black but can be brown or reddish-brown. As a Chimpanzee ages it can develop gray patches and even bald spots. The skin color of a Chimpanzee ranges from white, to freckled on white, to black. A Chimpanzee’s arms are longer than its legs and its toes are very much like fingers and the big toe can oppose the other toes. A Chimpanzee can move in both an arboreal and terrestrial fashion. Chimpanzees move in trees by climbing and brachiating. While on the ground they move quadrupedally and bipedally. The average weight of a Chimpanzee is 55 kilograms(121 pounds). Males usually weigh more than females.

_Genus	_Pan
_Species	_{P. troglodytes}
_{Binomial Name}	_{Pan troglodytes}
_Height _{(When Upright)}	_{1-1.7 meters(3’3”-5’7”)}
_Weight	_{26-136 kg(57-300 lbs.)}
_{IUCN Status}	_Endangered

_{*The measurements listed in this table were the minimum and maximum found when conducting the research for this article.}

Range And Habitat

Chimpanzees live in Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania, and the United Republic of Uganda. Chimpanzee habitat includes: savanna, rainforest, montane forest, and swamp forest.

Breeding

A Chimpanzee mother gives birth to 1 baby after a gestation period of approximately 8 months. While it is rare, a female may occasionally give birth to twins. Newborns weigh 907 grams to 1.8 kilograms(2 to 4 pounds). Babies are weaned at 4 to 5 years old.

Diet

Chimpanzees eat fruit, leaves, leaf buds, seeds, blossoms, stems, bark, ants, termites, honey, caterpillars, birds and their eggs, and small mammals.

Predators

Animals that prey on Chimpanzees include: The Leopard(Panthera pardus), Lion(Panthera leo), pythons, and crocodiles.

Fun Facts

Chimpanzees use tools to find and prepare food; they use rocks to crack open nuts, and they also use twigs to forage for termites.
Chimpanzees use facial expressions and sounds to communicate with each other.
The Chimpanzee is the national animal of Sierra Leone.
A Chimpanzee can live for up to 60 years.