Chimpanzees Fact and Pictures

The forest air is calm as a small group of chimpanzees forages for food in central Africa. Suddenly, the silence is broken as the chimps begin drumming on tree trunks and sending out a loud chorus of pant-hoots and food calls (a mix of grunts and barks) to other members of their community, some as far as two miles (three kilometers) away! They have discovered a fig tree full of ripe fruit; soon large numbers of chimps gather excitedly around the fig tree and begin feasting. Chimpanzees are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and animals—they feed on fruit, leaves, seeds, buds, bark, stems, insects, and occasionally the meat of small mammals such as young baboons.

Young chimpanzees learn from observing their mothers and other adults which foods are safe to eat and where ripe food is located. For the first few months of its life a baby chimp clings to its mother's belly as she travels with it everywhere.

After that, young chimpanzees will spend the next seven to ten years at their mothers' sides learning how to groom, make nests in trees, find food, and use tools.

In the wild a chimpanzee may live to be 50 years old and weigh up to 121 pounds (55 kilograms). They live in Africa's dense rain forests, open woodlands, and broad grasslands.

No other animal uses so many different objects as tools. For instance, chimps often fish for termites using a long piece of grass. The chimp sticks the grass into the entrance of a termite nest, wiggles it around, then slowly withdraws it—without losing any tasty termites clinging to the grass stem. In one quick swoop the chimp eats the insects.

Chimpanzees also sometimes use stones and sticks as missiles or clubs, and in West Africa chimps use stones as hammers to open hard-shelled nuts. 

FAST FACTS
Chimpanzees are found in dense rain forests, open woodlands, and broad grasslands of Africa.

The number of chimpanzees in the wild has been reduced to about 200,000, scattered across 21 nations in Africa.

The scientific name for the chimpanzee is Pan troglodytes.

Chimpanzees are apes, like orangutans, bonobos, gorillas, and gibbons. Apes belong to the primate order that includes lemurs, monkeys, and humans.

Chimpanzees live in social groups called communities or unit groups that consist of up to 60 members.

Each chimpanzee has its own individual pant-hoot, a common call used in different situations.

Chimpanzees travel in small bands of up to six animals, though the membership of the travel groups changes as individuals separate or join other groups.

Chimpanzees use various sounds and gestures to communicate with other chimps.Grooming is an important behavior for chimps, both socially and for skin care.

Grooming helps chimpanzees maintain friendly ties with community members. A grooming session can continue for a few seconds or hours and include several chimpanzees of different ages.
In the wild female chimpanzees give birth every five or six years.

Chimpanzees forage for food about six to eight hours a day.

Chimpanzees can live about 50 years in the wild. In captivity, some chimps have lived more than 60 years.The main threats to chimpanzees are the loss of habitat from agriculture and logging, and hunting by people for food.

Male chimpanzees try to intimidate other males with displays of dominance: slapping their hands, stamping their feet, dragging branches, and throwing rocks.