Chimpanzees

Male chimpanzee at Zoo Osnabrück

Image: Hamsterkiste

Chimpanzees are among humans’ closest relatives. Scientists classify humans, chimpanzees, bonobos, western gorillas, eastern gorillas, Bornean orangutans, Tapanuli orangutans, and Sumatran orangutans in the family of great apes. Human and chimpanzee DNA is more than 98 percent identical.

Chimpanzees are found only in Africa, for example in Tanzania, Nigeria, the Congo, Uganda and Senegal. They live in rainforests as well as in dry savannas.

When chimpanzees stand upright, they reach a height of about 1.2 meters, and at most 1.7 meters. Adult males weigh about 28 to 70 kilograms, and females 20 to 50 kilograms. Chimpanzees can live to be about 60 years old.

Chimpanzees live in groups of up to 150 animals, although most groups are much smaller. There are hierarchies within the groups. Chimpanzees can also be violent toward one another. They may fight over food, but male chimpanzees especially compete over the females in the group.

Chimpanzees use tools. They use stones, sticks or bones. For example, they crack nuts with them, fish for termites, scrape out bone marrow or drive away leopards.

Chimpanzees are omnivores, just like us. They eat mainly plants, fruit, nuts and insects. Sometimes chimpanzees hunt together for smaller animals in their habitat.

Find out:

1. Which animal family do chimpanzees belong to?
2. How similar is the genetic makeup of humans and chimpanzees?
3. What other great apes are there?
4. Where do chimpanzees live in the wild?
5. How big and heavy can chimpanzees get?
6. How old can they get?
7. What might chimpanzees argue about?
8. What do chimpanzees use as tools?
9. What do chimpanzees eat?