Chimpanzee

Chimpanzees are members of the family Hominidae along with gorillas, orangutans and humans. They were descended from the human species 6 million years ago, the two species remaining the best known and closest to man.
A research by Mary-Claire King in 1973 amazed the world by the fact that chimpanzee DNA is 99% similar to that of man.
One argument is that other species have been reclassified to belong to the same genus on the basis of less genetic similarity than that between humans and chimpanzees.
Fossils found in Kenya indicate that both humans and chimpanzees were present in East Africa a very long time ago.

Chimpanzee Food

Chimpanzees ' food is composed mostly of ripe fruit, but varies according to the season. They spend many hours eating about 20 kinds of fruit in a period and 300 in a year.
They do not store or make supplies like squirrels or other animals, but will eat them at the site. They like green leaves especially after lunch.
During dry periods, when fruit is scarce, it consumes seeds, flowers, resin, tree bark becoming an important part of the chimpanzee's meal. They also eat many types of insects, termites being the most important.
Termites are picked by hand or with tools made on the spot. Many zoos have built termite mounds to stimulate this natural feeding behavior. Females give twice as much type as males "fishing" termites.
Birds are occasionally eaten. They also know different mammals. The hunting style varies from community to community, an area of fruit found in abundance increases the chances of success. The chimpanzee hunting success rate is between 50 and 80%.

Chimpanzee Appearance

The male chimpanzee is up to 1.7 m tall and weighs 70 kg. It is devoid of tail. The female is somewhat smaller. The arms, longer than the legs, use them in slecial climbing to climb trees.
Chimpanzees usually walk on all fours, leaning on their hind paws and fists. They can also walk standing when carrying different objects or have their arms busy.
The fur is black, but the face, palms and soles are devoid of hair. the color of the skin in the hairless areas varies from pink to black, usually the chicks have pink skin and the adults have dark hairs.
The brain of a companion is, in size, half the human brain. The chimpanzee's testicles are unusually large compared to its body. This is due to the large amount of sperm it produces during mating.
Chimpanzees reach puberty between the ages of 8 and 10 and rarely live beyond 40 years in the wild and more than 60 in captivity.
Central chimpanzee – (P. T. troglodytes)
Western chimpanzee – (P. T. ellioti)
Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee – (P. T. ellioti)
Eastern chimpanzee – (P. T. schweinfurthii)

Chimpanzee Behavior

Chimpanzees live in large groups called Communities. In the community there is a hierarchy dictated by the position of each individual and the influence he has on others. Each dominated member can dominate other members in turn.
There is usually a dominant male called the alpha male, who has the highest rank. It controls the group and intervenes during disputes between members.
The alpha male should not be the biggest or the strongest, but the most manipulative, with the most influence. He makes allies who support him. The alpha male has a superior character, puffing to grow in the eyes of others intimidating and dominating them authoritatively.
Lower-ranking male chimpanzees will show their respect through various gestures, and females show their respect by showing their bottoms. And among the females there is a hierarchy. In some communities the female pups may inherit high-ranking status from the mother.
They are mainly aimed at acquiring high status in order to have privileges at mating and food, females of high rank will often be allowed to begin feasting.
For a male chimpanzee to be the alpha male it must be accepted by the female community because they are the ones who dictate the lifestyle, they ensure the survival of the next generation.
There are groups where females will remove an alpha male to be an alpha male another potential better leader male.
One of the arguments that chimpanzees are intelligent animals is that they use tools. They use stones to Spade or logi, sticks to take out and eat termites, some kind of Spears, etc.

Chimpanzee Breeding

Sexual maturity is reached at 8-9 years of age.
The gestation period in a chimpanzee is about 230 – 240 days. Chimpanzees give birth to one cub, but twins can also be born, or sometimes two cubs.
Breeding in chimpanzees is very complicated, there have been several misconceptions regarding reproduction. Female chimpanzees have a mating period lasting 36 days. During this time females are approached by males.
At the call of the females through various advances the male comes and sometimes there is a small fight before mating for him to prove that he is dominant.