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Chimps have complex social structure and form loose-knit communities of more than 60 members.
photo: Tom Gillespie
Characteristics: Chimpanzees inhabit bushlands and forest near the equator in Africa. They have complex social structure and form loose-knit communities of more than 60 members.
Researchers have found significant variations in communication, behavior and feeding habits in different communities. They frequently make and use tools to break open nuts and fish for insects and honey. These behaviors are passed on from generation to generation, giving communities cultural differences.
Diet: Chimpanzees are omnivores that feed on fruit, vegetation, nuts, ants, termites, and occasionally small game such as Colobus monkey. Diet varies from region to region, depending on what is available.
Reproduction: Chimpanzees have a slow rate of reproduction and raise their young for a long time. Infants cling to their mother’s chest until they are large enough to ride on her back. Adolescent females aid mothers child rearing, which gives them good practice for when enter motherhood.
Environmental Connections: Once abundant in the wild, chimpanzees are now severely endangered. Less than 150,000 are estimated to be living in the bushlands and forests of Africa. At the present rate of population decline, they could become extinct in the wild within 15 years.
The bushmeat trade is one of the greatest threats to chimpanzees, gorillas, elephants and other animals living in the African bushlands. These and other wildlife are hunted for human consumption. A growing urban population threatens to increase the market for bushmeat.
Logging of the forest destroys or fragments chimpanzee habitats. Logging companies assist the bushmeat trade. Cleared logging roads make it easier for poachers to access chimpanzees. Logging trucks transport bushmeat into urban areas.
Fortunately some logging companies are now working with conservation organizations to curb the trade. The Forest Stewardship Council is an organization that is working to assess forestry operations and end their negative role in this crisis.
Protecting chimpanzees means preserving the habitats in which they live. No ecosystem stands alone so it is important that we work to protect ecosystems on a global level.
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