Chimpanzees

Chimpanzees live in Africa but they are found in zoos, photos and films all over the world.mum and baby chimpanzee in Uganda

  • They have black hair and pinkish to black  bare skin on their faces (except for hairs on their chin),  ears, palms of their hands and soles of their feet.
  • Chimpanzees walk on all fours on the ground and in the trees.  They use their knuckles for support while walking on all fours and are called “knuckle walkers”.
  • Chimpanzees have long arms and use these to reach out for fruit and food on trees.  They swing through branches too. and are very strong
  • Chimps have apposable thumbs.  Chimpanzee males are slightly heavier than females.  Chimpanzees  in the wild seldom live longer than 50 years.
  • Although it is difficult to detrmine chimpanzee emotions, those who have worked closely with chimpanzees agree that they feel and express emotions such as;
  • sadness and happiness,
  • fear and despair – and they know mental as well as physical pain.
  • There are uncanny similarities in the nonverbal communication patterns of chimps and humans –kissing, embracing, patting on the back, touching hands, tickling, shaking the first, brandishing sticks, hurling rocks.

these patterns appear in similar contexts as those in which they are seen in humans. They mean much the same.
Friendships and socialising
Friendly physical contact is crucial in maintaining good relationships among chimpanzees. For this reason, social grooming is probably the most important social behavior, serving to sustain or improve friendships within the community and to calm nervous or tense individuals. The grin of fear seen in frightened chimpanzees may be similar to the nervous smiles given by humans when tense or in stressful situations. When angry, chimpanzees may stand upright, show off, wave their arms, throw branches or rocks – all with bristling hair and often while screaming or with lips bunched in ferocious scowls.
Male chimpanzees proclaim their dominance with spectacular charging displays during which they slap their hands, stamp with their feet, drag branches as they run, or hurl rocks. In doing so, they make themselves look as big and dangerous as they possibly can, and indeed may eventually intimidate a higher-ranking individual without having to fight.