Facts about Chimpanzees
Their brain is about half the size of the human brain. They are one of the two extanct species of the genus Pan, the other one being Bonobo. Like humans, chimp young are born helpless and require a number of years of careful rearing before they are able to go out on their own. They are very social and form tight bonds within their community. Groundbreaking research by Mary-Claire King in 1973 found 99% identical DNA between human beings and chimpanzees, although research since has modified that finding to about 94%. Chimpanzees rarely live past the age of 40 in the wild, but have been known to reach the age of more than 60 in captivity. Chimpanzees are thought to have split from human evolution about 6 million years ago and thus they are the closest living relatives to humans. The first recorded contact of Europeans with chimps took place in present-day Angola during the 1600s. The diary of Portuguese explorer Duarte Pacheco Pereira (1506), preserved in the Portuguese National Archive (Torre do Tombo), is probably the first European document to acknowledge that chimpanzees built their own rudimentary tools. Chimpanzees are very affectionate and touch each other often. They kiss when they meet as well as hold hands and groom each other. They use non-verbal signals to communicate, such as facial expressions and body posturing — much like humans. Chimpanzee mothers typically spend about five years nursing and caring for their infant before giving birth again. Chimps have specific calls to signify food and danger, and each chimp has a distinctive hoot that distinguishes it from the others. Chimpanzees are members of the Hominidae family, along with gorillas, humans, and orangutans. The male common chimp is up to 1.7 m (up to 5.6 ft) high when standing, and weighs as much as 70 kg (154 lb); the female is somewhat smaller. Modern chimpanzees use tools, and recent research indicates that chimpanzee stone tool use dates to at least 4300 years ago. A recent study revealed the use of such advanced tools as spears, which Common Chimpanzees in Senegal sharpen with their teeth, being used to spear Senegal Bushbabies out of small holes in trees. Before the discovery of tool use in chimps, it was believed that humans were the only species to make and use tools, but several other tool-using species are now known. They show laughterlike vocalizations in response to tickling and other such gestures. Humans and chimpanzees share similar ticklish areas of the body, such as the armpits and belly. The enjoyment of tickling in chimpanzees does not diminish with age. They can be agressive at times and are known to kill other chimpanzees. The name chimpanzee for this animal was first used in 1738. |
SEARCH
Sponsors
Related Links |