Toto

The chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) is a species belonging to the order of primates, parvorder Catarrhini, and the family Hominidae. Together with human beings they form part of the tribe Hominini. Until recently they were grouped with the bonobo (Pan paniscus) as a single species. However, genetic and morphological evidence suggests they are two different species. Historically, three subspecies of chimpanzee have been recognised (Groves, 2001; Napier y Napier, 1967): western (Pan troglodytes verus), central (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) and eastern (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii). Recent research using mitochondrial DNA supports the idea that Nigerian chimpanzees should be considered as a different subspecies [Pan troglodytes vellerosus] (Gonder et al., 1997; Vigilant, 2003).

Chimpanzees are widely, although intermittently, distributed over 25 equatorial African countries, from Senegal in the west to Tanzania in the east. Their current geographical range covers 2,342,000 km2 (Butynski, 2003) along a wide fragmented area between 13ºN and 7ºS. They are a eutrophic species, meaning they adapt to living in different biotopes. Chimps live in dense tropical forests (rainforests) savanna woodlands, forest savanna mosaic, or less dense tropical forest, from sea level to a height of 2,800 metres. The subspecies P.t. verus is found in west Africa, from Senegal to Nigeria. The subspecies P.t. vellerosus is only found in Nigeria and Cameroon, north of the Sanaga River. The subspecies P.t. troglodytes are distributed from Cameroon (south of the Sanaga river) to the basins of the Congo and Ubangi rivers (Democratic Republic of the Congo). The subspecies P.T. schweinfurthii is found covering an area from the Congo-Ubangi river basin in the Central African Republic and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo up to western Uganda and Rwanda, and the west of Tanzania (with small strongholds of populations in Burundi and in the southeast Sudan). The large rivers and lakes have served as unassailable natural barriers for the species. Together with the subdesert areas to the north, the different populations have been compartmentalised, and this has favoured the appearance of geographically-linked races, which have diversified towards speciation (subspeciation).

Chimpanzees are the species of great ape closest to human beings. Both species share a major part of their DNA (The Chimpanzee Sequencing and Analysis Consortium, 2005), though recently it seems that the minimum difference of 1.24%, which has been accepted for over a decade, may be an incorrect estimation and the differences between both genomes could be 10 times higher (Marquès-Bonet et al., 2009).

Ontogenetic development in chimps is similar to humans, broken down into long periods of time: infancy, childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Their life expectancy in the wild can reach up to 50 years, and some are still very active when they are 42 to 44 years old. Males weigh between 35-70 kg and females between 26-50 kg. They reach a height of between 90-120 cm and 60-100 cm, respectively. Their life expectancy in the wild is between 35 and 40 years, and in captivity they can reach 60 years. The gestation period for chimpanzees is 8.5-9 months, and they reach puberty around the age of 12-13.

Chimps are mainly omnivores and their diet varies significantly between the various populations and seasons. Fruit makes up almost half of their diet, although they also eat leaves, bark and shoots. In some populations, meat from small mammals and other primates forms part of their diet. Their average range of activity is 12.5 km2 (with extremes of 5 to 400 km2), this variation mainly depends on the type of habitat. Chimps are a highly social species and live in social communities that can accommodate between 15 and 150 individuals. They live in flexible fission-fusion societies, where individuals are constantly joining (fusion) and leaving (fission). All the individuals who remain for a period of time in the same social group belong to the same community. There are noticeable hierarchies between male chimps, essentially in trophic (access to food) and sexual contexts (access to sexually active females). Their social structure is focused on the males, since they are the ones who maintain family ties whilst the females leave at the age of 11.

One of the main behavioural characteristics of chimps refers to their cultural behaviour. Generally, evidence has been found for a series of cultural customs (variants) in aspects such as communication, territorial aggression, hunting strategies, the tools they use and make, eating and processing of food and ingesting medicinal plants (Sugiyama, 1997; Whiten et al., 1999; Wrangham, McGrew, de Waal, and Heltne, 1994). In addition, as far as the use of tools is concerned, some authors have identified up to 38 chimpanzee communities that show technological prowess (McGrew, 1992; McGrew, Pruetz, and Fulton, 2005; Sanz, Morgan, and Gulick, 2004) where they use different types of tools and raw materials, and use them for different purposes. This type of complex behaviour is also clearly documented in chimpanzees in captivity, showing clear similarities in usage patterns and they way they adapt tools (Sepúlveda et al., 2009).

The chimpanzee is the most abundant species of great ape, with the greatest distribution, and numerous populations in protected areas. However, the species is currently classified as being in danger of extinction (EN - endangered), and its populations are diminishing and are expected to continue diminishing in the future (Oates et al., 2008). Currently chimpanzees are protected by law in the majority of countries where they live, and numerous national parks have been created, although many populations remain outside the protected areas. The species is listed in CITES Appendix I, and as Class A in the African Convention.

Charly
 

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Tico