Facts About Chimpanzees
Facts About Chimpanzees are very many because these primates have been studied extensively because of their great resemblance to human beings. The chimpanzees are well-renowned primate species found in the thick tropical forests of Africa. However, there is still a range of facts about chimpanzees you need to know about these special primates. The chimpanzees fall among the Hominidae family together with the gorillas, both mountain gorillas and lowland gorillas, and orangutans. Despite, the chimpanzees are the only apes that are closest to the Homo sapiens, humans, sharing about 98% of the human DNA.
The chimpanzees are adaptable to the thick tropical forests in the world such as Kibale national park and Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth national park among others. However, the chimpanzee habitats are drastically being depleted in Africa. The chimpanzee, a few years ago, used to be found in over twenty-five (25) countries in Africa, but now they are less than 15 countries, lucky that Uganda stands in the top position for being with the highest population of chimpanzees; found in Kibale national park.
The destruction of the chimpanzee habitats has led to an increased reduction in the chimpanzee population on the African continent. A few years behind today, there were over 1 million chimpanzees in the African tropical forest, but now the chimpanzee population in all African countries is between 170,000 and 300,000 in total. A good percent of the chimpanzees has also been traded as pets to others continents such as America; about 2000 chimpanzees are found in the united states of America some of which are in the laboratories, about 250 chimpanzees in zoos, 600 chimpanzees in sanctuaries, and over 200 in the private zoos for rich tycoons in the European countries. To note, most of the chimpanzees in America are taken as captives, it is so illegal and unsafe for the ecology of the chimpanzees.
One of the facts about chimpanzees is that they live deep in the tropical forests of Africa in groups of 30 to 200 individuals called communities. Within the community, the chimpanzees perfectly communicate with each other using a complex system of subtle vocalization and gestures. Habituated chimpanzees can also learn other human sign language gestures, according to Dr. Jane Goodall. The chimpanzees are capable of ganging up and wage a war against anything that can seem to be a threat to them and they also warn the other members of the community about the danger.
Another of the facts about chimpanzees is that they are highly fashionable and can follow trends and lifestyles. Chimpanzees change and learn how to make tools to fit in the new environment they are moved to. For example, they can easily learn to use a straw to sip water. The chimpanzees use hard rocks to crack nuts, sticks to dig up termites and other skills to look for food. Chimpanzees in the natural forest habitats use different herbs to medicate themselves in case of any ailment and this is the greatest example of human evolution.
Chimpanzees make new nests every day as they bend the tree branches and attach them together with a twig to make their nests. The chimpanzees sleep for an average time of about nine to ten hours in a period of 24 hours; quite a rest. The long resting period is good for their health and therefore, the chimpanzees’ life span of over 50 years, perhaps, is attributed to the long sleeping hours.
Another major one of the facts about chimpanzees is that just like humans, they can give birth any time of the year. The gestation period a pregnant chimpanzee takes place between 7 to 8 months, slightly different from the nine months of the human females. The chimpanzees use facial expressions to show different emotions, for example, they smile with wide smiles and laugh out loud to show happiness or excitement. The chimpanzees do not bang on the chest like the gorillas, but you can tell from their faces when they are angry or annoyed.
The chimpanzees are truly another human form in a unique way because they have some strong similar characters and features which make the facts about chimpanzees interesting. The chimpanzees have a set of 32 teeth, same body temperature as that for humans (about 98.6°F). The chimpanzees have a sense of smell and sight just as that of humans and their hearing skill and taste is the same as humans. Unlike the humans, the chimpanzees have two blood groups A and O; probably the chimpanzee blood composition is the same as that of humans.
You can learn more about the chimpanzees in Kibale national park which is found in western Uganda, all you have to do is, book for the chimpanzee habituation in Kibale national park, it is an intensive activity that involves the study of chimpanzee behaviors and characteristics. You can visit Kibale national park at any time of the year, and we are ready to receive you.
