Chimpanzee

Mammal. Chimpanzees are great apes, a group that also includes bonobos, orangutans, and gorillas. Chimps use sticks, rocks and other objects as tools for tasks like pulling termites from their mounds and cracking nuts. More than 30 other tool uses have been recorded, from chimps using leaves as sponges to using branches as clubs. Chimpanzees live in communities made up of family groups, totaling about 50 members. They sleep in nests that they build in trees, but usually only use a nest once. Scientists have found that chimps can paint much like human children, and they have a definite sense of form and style.

Scientific Name

Lifespan

Pan troglodytes

50 years

Diet

Omnivore. Primarily fruit, leaves and other plant parts, honey, insects (especially termites), and occasionally eggs and meat (other primates, young antelope).

Predators and Threats

Humans, deforestation.

Habitat

Tropical forests and wet savannas of Western and Central Africa.