The Chimpanzee

THE chimpanzee belongs to the family of apes. It lives in the tropical rainforests and the forested, grassy plains of central Africa. Mos t chimpanzees grow to a height of about 1 to 1.7 metres and weigh between 41 to 50 kilos.

Chimpanzees don't have tails. They have big ears and their arms are longer than their legs. The toes on their feet are like t h u mbs — they face s i d eway s . This helps c h i mpa n z e e s to grasp branches easily with their feet.

Chimpanzees are knuckle-walkers. They use their feet and the knuckles of their hands for walking. They hardly ever stand erect except to see over tall grass or to show off their strength.

Fruits, nuts, leaves and stems form the main diet of chimpanzees. They also eat termites, ants, bird eggs, fish and large animals like wild hogs and red-tail monkeys.

Chimpanzees living in the wild have a lifespan of 30 to 38 years and those living in zoos and research centres live from 40 to 60 years.

Chimpanzees can be tamed and taught to perform tricks. Scientists experimenting on chimpanzees have found that they can be taught to use language the way people do.

Chimpanzees are intelligent animals. They make use of various kinds of tools to hunt food. To catch termites, a chimpanzee will break a twig, peel it and inser t the wet, sticky end inside a termite mound so that the termites get stuck to the twig when it is pulled out.

When hunting larger a n i mal s , one chimpanzee gives chase while another stands far ahead to block escape.

Chimpanzees live in groups. As many as 60 to 80 chimps live together. They spend almost an hour a day in grooming each other. Two or more chimps sit together and clean each other's long, black body hair. They remove insects, leaves and any dir t they find.

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