Both males and females are known to mate with multiple partners, so they can be considered polygynandrous. Range length 635 to 925 mm 25.00 to 36.42 inĬhimpanzee reproduction is very complex, and many misconceptions arose early in the study of these animals about the nature of their mating system.Graying of hairs in the lumbar region and on the back is common with age, also. Individuals of both sexes are prone to lose the hair on the head as they age, producing a bald patch behind the brow ridge. This white tail tuft is lost as an individual ages. Infant chimpanzees have a white tuft of hair on their rumps, which identifies their age quite clearly. There may be some white hairs around the face (looking a bit like a white beard in some individuals). Hair is black to brown, and there is no underfur present. The face of adults is typically black, or mottled with brown. Molars decrease in size toward the back of the mouth, and lack the enamel wrinkling seen in orangutans. The dental arch is square in shape, and there is a prominent diastema. ( Goodall, 1986 Jones, et al., 1996 Napier and Napier, 1985 Nowak, 1999)ĭentition is typical of primates. The lips protrude and are very flexible, allowing an individual to accomplish many tasks through labial manipulation. Cranial capacity of these animals ranges from 320 to 480 cc. A sagittal crest may be present on very large individuals, but is not common. This gives the brows a somewhat rigid and bony appearance. ( Napier and Napier, 1985 Nowak, 1999)Ĭhimpanzees have prominent ears, and a prominent superorbital crest. In combination with the short legs, this gives the back a downward slope from neck to rump, and orients the head into a forward facing position. Much of the length of the hand thus contributes to the length of the forelimbs while walking. Fingertips are typically curled upward into the palm during locomotion, and the weight is borne along backs of the fingers. The long hands of chimpanzees also function in quadrupedal locomotion. Instead, fine manipulations require using the middle finger in opposition to the thumb. Although useful in locomotion, the shortness of the thumb relative to the fingers prevents precision grip between the index finger and thumb. In trees, chimpanzees may move by swinging from their arms, in a form of brachiation. This hand morphology allows chimpanzees to use their hands as “hooks” while climbing, without interference from the thumb. Chimpanzees have very long hands and fingers, with short thumbs. Legs are shorter than are the arms, which allows these animals to walk on all fours with the anterior portion of the body higher than the posterior. The arms are long, such that the spread of the arms is 1.5 times the height of an individual. Some of the differences seen between captive chimps and wild chimps may be due to subspecific differences in size. Although data from individual subspecies are not available, it appears that P. In captivity individuals typically attain greater weights, with the top weight reaching 80 kg for males and 68 kg for females. In the wild, males weigh between 34 and 70 kg, whereas females are slightly smaller, weighing between 26 and 50 kg. When standing erect, they are 1 to 1.7 m tall. Range elevation 0 to 2,750 m 0.00 to ftĪdult chimpanzees have a head and body length ranging between 635 and 925 mm.Some populations are known to inhabit primarily savanna habitat. Although they are typically thought of as living in tropical rainforests, they are also found in forest-savanna mosaic environments, as well as in montain forests at elevations up to 2,750 m. ( Nowak, 1999)Ĭhimpanzees utilize a great diversity of habitat types. In the far eastern portion of the range, from the northwestern corner of Zaire into western Uganda and Tanzania, P. troglodytes troglodytes inhabits forested regions. From the Niger river to Congo, in the central portion of the range, P. Pan troglodytes verus occurs in the western portions of the range, from Gambia to the Niger river. There are three recognized subspecies of common chimpanzee. They are found from Gambia in the west to Uganda in the east, excluding the region bordered by the Congo and Lualaba rivers in central Zaire (Congo) where their sister species, bonobos ( Pan paniscus), are found. They are distributed from about 10 degrees N to 8 degrees S, and from 15 degrees W to 32 degrees E. Chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes) inhabit the tropical forests of central Africa.
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