Chimpanzee

Distribution:

West Africa

Habitat:

Savannah forests, grassland forests, rainforests.

Diet:

Fruit, leaves, flowers, seeds, animal prey including ants, termites and other primates

Gestation:

240 days, one young born

Longevity:

35 - 40 years in the wild, 50 - 60 years in captivity.

Predators:

Humans

Conservation Status:

Endangered

General:

Chimpanzees are one of the great apes and are one of our closest living relatives in the animal kingdom. They are very intelligent primates and have complex social behaviour. Males are larger than the female and also have larger canine teeth. They are mainly black in colour and like all apes, do not have a tail. Like humans, all chimps have different facial features and this can be a way of identifying individuals.

A wide variety of gestures, postures, and facial expressions are used to communicate. Body language and physical cues are also used. Vocalizations are usually spontaneous and consist of a variety of grunts, barks, squeaks, whimpers, and screams. Each call is typically tied to a particular emotional context, such as fear, excitment, bewilderment, or annoyance.

Chimpanzees live in groups, which can vary in size from 15-100. The group usually breaks up into smaller parties of 3-6 individuals, which go off to feed on their own. The male chimpanzees always stay in the group they were born into, whereas the females will move onto another group.

Fun fact: Chimpanzees are among the world's most intelligent animal species. They can remember things and recognize themselves in a mirror!

At Hamilton Zoo:

The troop at Hamilton Zoo is made up of six chimpanzees and they can be seen outside from the viewing platform or from inside the chimp-house.

Females:
Lucy - 24/11/75
Sanda - 10/4/85
Chiku - 15/2/16
Kendi - 18/12/20

Males:
Lucifer - 16/6/88
Luka - 28/2/93

Lucy is the mother of Lucifer and Luka. Luka and Sanda are the parents of Chiku and Kendi.

Mammals