Chimpanzees: Genus species: Pan (all) troglodytes (cave dwellers)
These great apes may be found in West and Central Africa, north of Zaire, from Senegal to Tanzania. Steamy, lowland rainforests, mountainous forests and savannas found in the western part of their range are the types of habitat most suited to them.
The primary anatomical characteristics shared by chimpanzees, orangutans and gorillas (which set them apart from lesser primates), are the absence of a tail, a more or less upright posture and the high degree of development of the brain. Chimpanzees have long arms with opposable thumbs. Their faces are bare; the skin is pink in infancy and darkens to black in adulthood. Their hair color varies from brown to black. Infants have white tail tuft and older males (20 or over) may develop gray back patch. Baldness is frequent in adults, typically as a triangle on the forehead of male, and shows up more extensively in females. Reproductive capability in the female may last at least until the age of 40. The gestation period of a chimpanzee is approximately 230-240 days. Chimps weigh about five pounds at and like a human baby, are almost completely helpless at birth and for the first 12 months, but at a few days old they are able to cling to their mothers. By the age of eight or nine, a chimp may weigh 88 pounds and is sexually mature (females reach sexual maturity at 6 to 10 years and males at 7 to 8 years). Growth continues until the animal is about 13 years old. Their life span averages 30 to 40 years in the wild, 45 to 55 years in captivity. According to zoological statistics, male Chimpanzees typically grow up to 5.5' (1.2m) tall and weigh up to 198 lbs. (89 kg.), females 3.5' (1.2 m) tall and 176 lbs. (80 kg).
Chimps are very close in their relationship to humans. Biochemical studies indicate that chimps and humans share all but about 2% of their genes. The "molecular clock" indicates that the split between chimps and humans may have occurred as recently as 5 million years ago. A dependent infancy, long childhood and learning by watching the actions of the adult chimpanzees in their troop all are indicative to the resemblance to ourselves. The newborn is helpless with only a weak grasping reflex and needs support from the mother's hand during travel. Within a few days it clings to the mother's ventral surface without assistance, and begins riding "jockey-style" at 5-7 months. For two to three years a young chimp shares a nest with its mother. This nest, made of branches, is usually built in the treetops, though sometimes it is made of grass blades on the ground. The baby travels along with its mother for six to eight hours daily nursing and as it matures; eating fruit, leaves, bark and, on occasion, meat. Chimpanzees swing from branch to branch in the trees and on the ground they move about on all fours (this is commonly called the "knuckle-walk"). At about two years of age, a young chimp will begin to find part of its food itself. Young chimps have also been observed begging food from their mothers or other females. Weaning begins in the third year. By four years, the infant travels mostly by walking, but stays with its mother until at least five to seven years old.
