There are plenty of factors you did not know about chimpanzees, and you are about to know 10 of them. Part of the great ape family, chimpanzees are among the rare primates often seen in various parts of Africa. Chimpanzees live in the tropical and savannah wildernesses on the African continent. Chimpanzees have a black hairy body with a thick layer of fur to protect them from the cold weather in the dense forest canopies. Male chimpanzees can weigh between 40 and 70 kilograms, while female chimpanzees weigh between 27 and 50 kilograms.

Chimpanzees have strong social ties that often last their entire lifetime. These primates can live up to 80 years. Female chimpanzees measure up to 1.1 meters in average height, while males measure up to 1.2 meters. The scientific evolution of humans is pretty much similar to the biological makeup of chimps, with the recent discovery of their use of tools. In the entire animal kingdom, the chimpanzee primates are some of the most interesting characters to visit. A lot has been written and researched about the chimpanzee primates to come up with significant facts. Below are some of the 10 facts you didn’t know about chimpanzees.

1. Chimpanzees are omnivorous

Omnivorous refers to an animal that feeds on both meat and vegetation. The diet of a chimpanzee is made up of different food types. The biggest percentage of a chimpanzee’s diet is vegetation, comprising leaves, shoots and tree barks. Chimps can be seen eating a variety of fruits especially the ripe ones. Mangoes, figs and wild berries make up a certain percentage of chimp diet. It is worth noting that chimpanzees also feed on termites and other ants. Chimpanzees also consume meat, hunting and feeding on smaller primate species like black and white colobus monkeys. It is only recently that researchers have confirmed that they are omnivorous, as before they were considered herbivores.

2. Chimpanzees are quite intelligent species

The animal kingdom is complex, with different animals, each with incredible abilities and skills to survive in the harsh wilderness. Chimpanzees, however, are among the most intelligent species in this kingdom. This fact is derived from years of research and constant monitoring of these primates out in the wild. Unlike other animals, chimpanzees have discovered different skills, like using tools, and perfected these skills to thrive in the wilderness. This use of tools is evident in cases like using sticks and grass to hunt termites in the ant hill. They can also be seen sharpening sticks to stab colobus monkeys during a hunt. Stones can also be used by chimpanzees to crack open nuts for eating or beehive to extract honey.

3. They are social beings

Chimpanzees are social beings often living in groups called communities, each made up of 15-100 individuals. In some cases, chimpanzee communities can have up to 200 members. These groups or communities are always headed by a dominant alpha male. He is responsible for the protection and defense of the group. Chimps being highly social creatures has played a part in ensuring that they have survived on earth for many generations.

4. Wild chimpanzees can only be found in Africa

Chimpanzees that roam freely in the wild can only be found in Africa and not anywhere else in the world. This is because the African weather, terrain, and nature favor chimpanzees to survive in the wild. Many parts of Africa unlike other parts of the world like Europe, experience wet and dry seasons. Combining this factor with tropical and savannah vegetation types creates optimal conditions environments for the chimpanzees.

5. They can walk upright

Chimpanzees, possess the unique ability to walk upright on two legs, just like humans. The chimpanzees can walk upright for a good distance. Nevertheless, their anatomy is mainly adapted for walking on 4 of their limbs. Their front limbs are longer than the hind limbs, though.

6. Chimpanzees are the closest animals to humans

Chimpanzees are considered to be the closest relatives to humans, because they share over 98.5% of their DNA with us. This is reflected in their social behavior; they live in family-like groups, like humans. Their intelligence also demonstrates how closely related the chimps are to humans. This is seen in their ability to use tools during hunting and searching for food.

7. They have different vocalizations

Chimpanzees have different types of vocalizations that are unique to each individual. These vocalizations have significant meanings, and the caller can be distinctively identified. The chimps use these vocalizations to express different messages to each other, such as danger or threat, and also sighting of food.

8. They possess strong infant-mother relationships or bonds

Mature female chimpanzees give birth once every five years to an infant or occasionally to twins. Chimpanzee mothers can wean their infants from the time of their birth to when the latter is 3 or 5 years old. This creates strong bonds between mother and its infant that might even last a lifetime.

9. Chimpanzees are very poor swimmers

These primates not being good swimmers is one of the 10 facts you didn’t know about chimpanzees. It is a fact that chimpanzees are very poor swimmers and do a lot to avoid deep water. Their body mass does not allow them to float while inside water. Now when they want to drink water, they prefer the shallow ends, and remain cautious while drinking.

10. They are considered an endangered primate species

In the wild only 150,000-300,000 chimpanzees exist, and can only be found in specific areas, especially in Africa. The changing landscape of their habitats caused by human encroachment and poaching has led to their numbers dropping. This has resulted into chimpanzees being listed by IUCN among the endangered primate species.