Want to learn about the facts about chimpanzees and their characteristics? Chimpanzees are believed to have had a common ancestor with humans that lived between four and eight million years ago.
They share about 98% of their DNA with humans, which makes them our close relatives, along with gorillas and bonobos.
Chimpanzees live in groups of 15 to 150 individuals. These groups are made up of smaller families of about 3 to 6 members. Today, there are around 100,000 to 300,000 chimpanzees left in the world.
In this article, we look at some interesting facts about chimpanzees and their characteristics.
Chimpanzee Facts & Characteristics
- Chimpanzees are mostly omnivores. They eat plants but also feed on eggs, termites, ants, insects, and sometimes meat.
- They are known for using tools. They shape sticks to collect termites, insects, and grubs. They use stones to crack nuts and leaves to soak up drinking water.
- Female chimpanzees reach sexual maturity at around 13 years old. Males mature at about 16 years.
- The pregnancy period for a female chimpanzee is 8 months. They can give birth at any time of the year. Babies are breastfed and cared for until they are 3 to 4 years old. Females give birth every 5 to 6 years.
- During grooming, chimpanzees clean each other by removing dead skin and parasites. If one chimp wants to be groomed, it may smack its lips to ask.
- Chimpanzees build nests in the trees where they sleep at night. They usually start building their nests around 7 p.m. before dark.
- Chimpanzees have 32 teeth.
- They can live up to 50 years in the wild. Some live up to 60 years in captivity.
- Chimpanzees have only blood groups A and O.
- Their main predator is humans, who hunt them for bush meat. They are also endangered because their habitats are being destroyed by human activity.
- Adult chimpanzees are about seven times stronger than humans.
- They can learn and use sign language to communicate.
- If two chimpanzees have a conflict, they often make peace during a grooming session.
- Chimpanzees mainly walk on all fours but can sometimes walk upright.
- They can catch diseases from humans, such as malaria, Ebola, and the common cold.
- Mating between chimpanzees lasts about 10 to 15 seconds. It can even happen while they are eating or doing other things.
- Male chimpanzees usually stay in the group where they were born. Females often move to new groups when they grow up.
- They use many forms of communication, including body posture, facial expressions, vocal sounds, gestures, grunts, drumming on trees, and flicking movements.
- Chimpanzees have larger and more developed brains than monkeys.
- They also show emotions. They can tickle and laugh with each other. When a chimpanzee is scared or upset, its hair stands on end, and it may scream or make loud hooting sounds.
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