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15 Interesting Facts about Chimpanzees

Did you know that July 14^th is World Chimpanzee Day? On the same day in 1960, primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall set foot in the Gombe National Park of Tanzania and began her research on wild chimpanzees. These creatures are our closest living relatives, and thanks to Goodall’s groundbreaking, and in-depth study on them, we now know more about them than we did a few decades ago. Goodall has spent about 60 years investigating, observing, and studying the behaviors, and interactions of chimps. She is now considered the world’s ‘foremost expert’ on chimpanzees.

These animals are one of the four great apes, with the other three being orangutans, gorillas, and bonobos. Native to rainforests in tropical Africa, the majority of their world population is found in Central and Western Africa. As we celebrate them and the need to preserve their existence on July 14^th, let’s have a look at some interesting facts about man’s closest relative! Here are 15 of them.

1. Chimpanzees share 95 to 98 % of the same DNA with humans

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You’ve most likely come across this fact already. These magnificent creatures are our closest primate relatives. We are much more closely related to chimps than we are to gorillas! It’s not surprising that these animals portray stark similarities with us in terms of behavior too.

2. Africa is the only place in the world with wild chimpanzees

The chimpanzee species is native to the rainforest and savannah of tropical Africa. The majority of them are found in Central Africa. They mostly live in rainforest areas in these regions. This is because they require a steady food and water supply. Fruits and leaves are at the top of their diet list, and rainforests are thus quite suitable for their survival.

Read more on; 30 Fascinating Facts about Africa.

3. Chimpanzees have proved that they can learn human language, including sign language

It’s well contended that chimps are pretty smart, and their ability to pick up human behavior and even communicate easily with us is hardly contested. In zoos, they have been able to pick up sign language and communicate with their caretakers. A concrete case example is that of a chimpanzee named Washoe, who was the first animal to learn American Sign Language.

She could communicate in more than 350 signs! Originally from West Africa, Washoe was captured and transferred to Nevada for research by the US Space Program. The research program was on animal language acquisition. Washoe was able to teach her adopted son Loulis some of the signs she had learned. She died in 2007 from health complications.

4. They are known for making tools to acquire food

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The famous archeologist, Louis Leakey stated, and I quote, ‘Now we must redefine ‘tool’ and redefine ‘man’, or accept chimpanzees as humans.’ Much like we use knives to cut fruits or nutcrackers to crush nuts, our primate relatives use self-made tools for related purposes. They’ll sharpen sticks or stones to dig up roots, termites, or even crack open nuts for food. Their creativity is impressive, and evidence of the similarities to our thinking tendencies.

Check out the 15 Most Influential Zoologists.

5. They can walk on two legs

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Chimpanzees are classified as quadrupedal; they use all four limbs for movement. They are however rather flexible and sometimes use just the front limbs to move or swing through trees, hanging onto branches. They can also stand up on their feet like we do, and even walk just like we do. Sometimes, however. They’re mainly quadrupedal.

6. They live in fission-fusion communities

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That means the composition and size of the group shift over time as the chimpanzees move around their habitats. This form of dynamism in group living is common in orangutans too, and elephants. Since chimpanzees travel often in search of food, they do so in smaller sub-groups. These subgroups may unite to form larger sizes depending on several factors, including the availability of food in a particular area.

7. Similar to human societies, hierarchies exist within these communities

Chimpanzees have strict, male-dominated hierarchies within their group settings. These are respected and maintained for order. The alpha male, who is the head of the group, has several male allies, who ensure the stability of its members. Where disputes occur among the members, it is often resolved amicably by the male heads.

8. Their body language is quite similar to that of humans

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They will smile, laugh, or even smirk, just like we do. Chimpanzees are quite expressive, and you can tell when they are sad, excited, shy, or even afraid. Their facial expressions and body language are strikingly similar to that of humans, yet another illustration of how closely related our make is. We share hand gestures too. Fascinating.

9. They share a wide range of personality traits with humans

Generally, research has shown that chimpanzees show similar personality traits to human beings. It’s expected, indeed, given that the two species share more than 90% of their DNA. Research published in the American Journal of Primatology showed that chimpanzees share sixty percent of their personality traits with humans. Five distinct personality types were established in a group of 99 captive-born chimps, including dominance, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and reactivity.

10. They eat, well, almost anything

Chimpanzees have a wide range of diets, and they aren’t exactly picky. Previously, they were thought to be herbivores, but they’re now considered omnivorous since they can eat monkey meat, small deer, and even tortoises.  At the top of their diet picks, however, are fruits and plants. They eat insects too, seeds and nuts. They consume over 200 different kinds of food, and that’s quite a selection.

See also; 10 Crazy Facts about Monkeys.

11. For chimpanzees, grooming is a big deal

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You’ll often see them picking through each other’s black coats of fur, looking for ticks or other parasites. Mothers will sit with their younger ones and attentively do this exercise. It’s thus no surprise that chimpanzees are known for having clean nests, some even cleaner compared to our beds according to a Tanzanian study. Sometimes, this grooming ‘ritual’ may be used as a ‘bribe’ to seek protective benefits from higher-ranking members of the group. Weaker or smaller members will pick through furs of stronger, older members. The activity is also a means of socializing among group members.

Read more on animals in 15 Amazing Facts about Kangaroos.

12. Social learning is common among chimpanzees

Copying or emulating behavior is another interesting fact about these creatures. Their ability to observe and repeat what their fellows are doing is impressive. A rather funny occurrence in Zambia demonstrates this. In 2010, Julie the chimpanzee placed a piece of grass in her ear and left it there. Soon, her fellow chimps in her group began to do the same. This was later observed in other groups and is now known as the ‘grass-in-ear’ behavior.

Another illustration is from research carried out at the Primate Research Institute in Tokyo. 9 chimps were given juice boxes and straws. It was observed that once one of them drank the juice by sucking the juice directly through the straw, the rest using the rather ineffective dipping method followed suit.

13. They warn each other of danger

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Chimpanzees definitely have each other’s backs. In their subgroups or even larger societies, a member who identifies an approaching threat will warn the others. And they’re not the kind to give up easily either. If the rest aren’t taking note that there’s a potential threat, the alert member (s) might make sharper, and more agitated noises.

14. Chimpanzees can catch human diseases

With such striking similarity in DNA with human beings, it’s no surprise that chimpanzees have been proven to catch human illnesses too. In 2013, a respiratory disease in Uganda’s Kibale National Park killed several chimpanzees. Upon research, it was found that the infection was a type of flu common in humans. Ebola viruses have also been known to cause illnesses in these animals; illnesses similar to the Ebola disease in humans.

15. They are now listed as an endangered species

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Conservation of biological diversity remains critical, and the need to enhance efforts to preserve species cannot be understated. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) maintains an inventory of endangered species; the Red List of Threatened Species. Chimpanzees are now listed as gravely endangered species by the IUCN, with a concerning decrease in their population.

Some of the biggest threats to chimpanzees are poaching and habitat loss. Poaching may be for meat or illegal pet trade. This puts them at risk of extinction. Their forest habitats are under threat from the encroaching human population. Logging for construction purposes, clearing forests for agriculture and related projects are some of the human activities occasioning habitat loss. 

Speaking of extinction, have a look at 30 Animals Scientists are Trying to Bring Back to Life.

These intelligent creatures, and man’s closest relative, have enabled scientists to delve deeper into understanding our evolutionary history and behavior. They’re now gravely endangered, hence the clarion call to protect them and preserve their habitats.