The chimpanzee which is also known as both “robust chimpanzee” and “common chimpanzee” (chimp) scientifically called troglodytes is a species of great ape.
The common chimpanzee is covered in coarse black hair, but has a bare face, fingers, toes, palms of the hands and soles of the feet.
The adult male common chimpanzee weighs between 40 and 65 kg, the female weighs 32 to 47 kgs. However, large wild males can weigh up to 70 kgs. Males can measure up to 1.6 m (5ft 3 in) tall while standing and females up to 1.3 m (4 ft. 3 in) tall.
The common Chimpanzee’s gestation period is eight months. The infant is weaned at about three years old, but usually maintains a close relationship with its mother for several more years. It reaches puberty at the age of 8 to 10. It’s lifespan in captivity is about 50 years.
Both its thumbs and big toes are opposable, allowing a precise grip. The common chimpanzee is both arboreal and terrestrial and spends its nights in the trees just as often as they are down on the ground.
The common chimpanzee is a “knuckle walker” like the gorilla and the bonobo (formerly referred to as the “Pygmy Chimpanzee”) in contrast to their locomotion as a palm walker.
The common chimpanzee lives in groups which range in size from 15 to 150 members, although individuals travel and forage in much smaller groups during day. The species lives in a male –dominated, strict hierarchy, that makes disputes be generally settled without the need for violence.
These chimpanzees live in Africa’s central and western regions that include; Mali, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Cameroon, Rwanda, Uganda among others.
The common chimpanzee is listed on the IUCN Red list as an endangered species. Between 170,000 and 300,000 individuals are estimated across its range in the forests and savannahs of west and central Africa.
The biggest threats to the common chimpanzee are habitat loss, poaching and disease. “2008” view report.
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