Mammals - A Multimedia Encyclopedia/Mammals.bin/mammals/chimp/pub62.dat

Text File | 1990-08-15 | 6KB | 194 lines

CHIMPANZEE

  Noisy and curious, intelligent and
social, the chimpanzee is the %F,10,h\mammal%mammal
that is most like a human. Maybe
that's why zoo visitors seem to love
chimps so much. Chimpanzees--like
orangutans, gorillas, and gibbons--
are apes. Apes belong to the %F,10,h\primate%primate
%F,10,h\order%order, a group that includes lemurs,
monkeys, and humans.

  Chimps have long arms and short
legs. Long, coarse black hair covers
much of their bodies. Their faces,
ears, fingers, and toes are bare. A
full-grown male chimp usually
measures about 4 feet (122 cm) long
and weighs about 100 pounds (45 kg).
Females are slightly shorter and
lighter. The pygmy chimp is a %F,10,h\rare%rare
kind of chimpanzee that lives in the
%F,10,g\forest%forests of Zaire. Despite its name,
it really is no smaller than its
relative, the chimpanzee.

  Chimpanzees are found in the dense
%F,10,h\rain%rain_forests, in the open %F,10,h\woodland%woodlands,
and on the broad %F,10,g\grasslan%grasslands of
Africa. Chimps spend much of their
time on the ground, traveling on all
fours. They may walk upright for a
short distance, especially if they
are carrying something. They climb
into trees to sleep and sometimes to
find food.

  Chimps are active during the day,
searching for food and eating. They
feed on fruit, leaves, seeds, buds,
bark, stems, and insects. Scientists
have also seen chimps catch and eat
other small %F,10,h\mammal%mammals such as young
baboons.

  Chimpanzees have hands that can
grip firmly. This allows them to
pick up and use objects for special
purposes. Sometimes the animals use
leaves for sponges. They chew on the
leaves, which makes them absorbent.
Then the animals soak the leaves in
water and suck on them to get
moisture.

  Chimps have been seen using sticks
to drive intruders away. Chimps also
use a blade of grass or a twig to
fish termites or ants out of the
ground. A chimp will push a twig
into an insect nest, and the ants or
termites will cling to it. The
chimp then pulls the twig out and
picks the insects off with its lips.

  Chimps live in communities of
about fifty animals that share the
same area. Within these large
communities, chimps form smaller
groups of three to six animals. The
chimps in these groups travel
together for a while. But they do
not always stay together. Groups are
always changing as chimps choose new
companions. Most groups are a
mixture of males, females, and
young. At times, however, only
females and young remain together.
At other times, a chimpanzee may
travel alone.

  When there is a large amount of
food, chimps gather to have a feast.
They bark loudly to announce the
find. When other chimps hear the
call, they rush over to join in the
eating. Chimps beg each other for
some food by holding out their hands
with the palms up.

  Chimpanzees use a complicated
system of sounds to communicate with
each other. For example, a loud call
like "wraaaa" warns of something
unusual or disturbing. The calls can
be heard 2 miles (3 km) away. To
express contentment, a chimp grunts
softly.

  Touch is also important in the
lives of chimpanzees. A nervous
animal will reach out to touch
another. Chimps may kiss when they
meet, and they also hold hands. An
adult chimp sometimes has a special
companion. The two chimps spend time
together and comfort each other.

  Another way a chimp communicates
is by the expression on its face.
When a chimpanzee bares its teeth,
it lets others know that it is
excited or frightened. If the animal
grins with its lips covering its
teeth, it means that it is in a
friendly mood. If it puckers up its
lips and looks as if it's about to
give someone a big, smacking kiss,
the chimp is worried. Another
expression--lips pressed together
--means the chimp may be about to
charge or to attack.

  Female chimps give their %F,10,h\offsprin%offspring
a great deal of care. The young are
born after an eight-and-a-half-month
pregnancy. During the first months
of a newborn's life, its mother
carries it everywhere. The female
cradles the tiny chimp carefully as
it clings to the hair on her belly.
At about five months, the young
chimp begins to ride on its mother's
back. It perches there like a little
jockey. A mother chimp plays with
her young, %F,10,g\groom%grooming and tickling it
and sharing her sleeping nest with
it at night. Female chimps help each
other with baby-sitting chores. Older
females will often look after their
younger sisters and brothers.

  Like humans, chimpanzees grow up
slowly. At about 9 years old, they
enter adolescence. By the time they
are 12 years old, they may have
offspring of their own.

  As young chimps grow and become
better able to care for themselves,
they play with other young chimps.
Older chimpanzees in the community
usually are patient with the
energetic youngsters. They allow
them to do pretty much as they
please. And the young chimps do.
They climb trees, wrestle with each
other and their elders, and play
with sticks, food, and other objects.

  Play helps young chimpanzees learn
about their world. By wrestling,
they learn how strong they are and
what they can do. They learn which
branches are big enough to hold
them. Young chimps also learn by
trying to do what adults do. They
make leafy sleeping nests. And they
practice making the expressions
their elders make and the calls they
give. All these activities are
important to a young chimp's
development. They help the chimp
learn to take care of itself as an
adult.

  The intelligence of the chimpanzee
has enabled scientists to teach
captive animals many things. By
studying how these primates react,
experts can find out more about the
learning process.

  In the wild, the number of
chimpanzees is dwindling. The
wilderness in which the animals live
is gradually disappearing. In recent
years, scientists have studied
chimps in Africa. What they have
learned may make the difference
between the survival and %F,10,g\extinct%extinction
of the %F,10,h\species%species.