Chimpanzee Facts - Did you know?

· Chimpanzees are “Apes”, not monkeys. The other apes include gorillas, orang-utans, bonobos (or pygmy chimpanzees) and gibbons.

· Chimpanzees share 98.4% DNA with humans, which makes them closer to humans than gorillas.

· There are two species of Chimpanzee
- Common Chimpanzee (Pan Troglodytes) – which are found in 21 African countries
- Bonobo or Pygmy Chimpanzee (Pan paniscus) which is found in DR Congo

· There are thought to be 175,000 chimpanzees remaining in the wild but their numbers are reducing at an alarming rate as their habitats are being destroyed and the “bushmeat” trade increases.

· They can live to 50 years of age and they have an elaborate communication system.

· Chimpanzees use tools to catch termites, to open nuts and for drinking water.

· Chimpanzees eat mostly fruit, e.g., figs and sometimes insects, eggs and nestlings. Occasionally they will stalk, attack, kill and eat monkeys; red colobus monkeys being their favourite. They feed mostly in the morning and evening and rest during the heat of the day.