![]() The observers of chimpanzees at the time were mainly interested in behaviour as it related to that of humans. The next two decades would see a number of the creatures imported into Europe, mainly acquired by various zoological gardens as entertainment for visitors.ĭarwin's theory of evolution (published in 1859) spurred scientific interest in chimpanzees, as in much of life science, leading eventually to numerous studies of the animals in the wild and captivity. Scientists who examined these rare specimens were baffled, and described these first chimpanzees as " pygmies", and noted the animals' distinct similarities to humans. The first of these early transcontinental chimpanzees came from Angola and were presented as a gift to Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange in 1640, and were followed by a few of its brethren over the next several years. When chimpanzees first began arriving on the European continent, European scientists noted the inaccuracy of some ancient descriptions, which often reported that chimpanzees had horns and hooves. Apes are mentioned variously by Aristotle, as well as the Bible, where apes and baboons are described as having been collected by Solomon in 1 Kings 10:22. Chimps as well as other apes had also been purported to have been known to Western writers in ancient times, but mainly as myths and legends on the edge of Euro-Arabic societal consciousness, mainly through fragmented and sketchy accounts of European adventurers. Biologists applied Pan as the genus name of the animal. ![]() The colloquialism " chimp" was most likely coined some time in the late 1870s. The name is derived from a Tshiluba language term "kivili-chimpenze", which is the local name for the animal and translates loosely as "mockman" or possibly just "ape". The first use of the name "chimpanzee", however, did not occur until 1738. The diary of Portuguese explorer Duarte Pacheco Pereira (1506), preserved in the Portuguese National Archive (Torre do Tombo), is probably the first European document to acknowledge that chimpanzees built their own rudimentary tools. The first recorded contact of Europeans with chimps took place in present-day Angola during the 1600s. Chimpanzees have been kept as domesticated pets for centuries in a few African villages, especially in Congo. History of human interactionĪfricans have had contact with chimpanzees for millennia. ![]() Different groups of Chimpanzees also have different cultural behaviour with preferences for types of tools. A University of Chicago Medical Centre study has found significant genetic differences between chimpanzee populations. Bonobos have proportionately longer upper limbs and tend to walk upright more often than the Common Chimpanzee. The exposed skin of the face, hands and feet varies from pink to very dark in both species, but is generally lighter in younger individuals, darkening as maturity is reached. Bonobos, on the other hand, have a mostly frugivorous diet and an egalitarian, nonviolent, matriarchal, sexually receptive behaviour. Common Chimpanzees have an omnivorous diet, a troop hunting culture based on beta males led by an alpha male, and highly complex social relationships. Chimpanzee differencesĪnatomical differences between the Common Chimpanzee and the Bonobo are slight, but in sexual and social behaviour there are marked differences. Cheeta, star of Tarzan is still alive as of 2008 at the age of 76, making him the oldest known chimpanzee in the world. Chimpanzees are members of the Hominidae family, along with gorillas, humans, and orangutans, and the two chimpanzee species are the closest living relatives to humans.Ī fully grown adult male chimpanzee can weigh from 35-70 kilograms (75-155 lb) and stand 0.9-1.2 metres (3-4 ft) tall, while females usually weigh 26-50 kg (57-110 lb) and stand 0.66-1 m (2-3½ ft) tall.Ĭhimpanzees rarely live past the age of 40 in the wild, but have been known to reach the age of more than 60 in captivity. The Congo River forms the boundary between the two species. Its cousin, the Bonobo or "Pygmy Chimpanzee" as it is known archaically, Pan paniscus, is found in the forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The better known chimpanzee is Pan troglodytes, the Common Chimpanzee, living primarily in West, and Central Africa. ![]() Chimpanzee, often shortened to chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of apes in the genus Pan.
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