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After a gestation (pregnancy) period of 230 to 240 days, a female chimpanzee gives birth to a single infant. Instead, females often mate with males of their choosing. Unlike many other animal species, female chimpanzees do not have to mate with the dominant male in their group.
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Mating between male and female chimpanzees takes place anytime during the year. At times, chimpanzees band together to hunt animals such as antelopes and monkeys. A chimpanzee's diet consists mainly of fruit, but they also eat insects, leaves, flowers, bark, seeds, tree resin, eggs, and meat. At night, they stay in nests they build in treetops. During the day, the animals often travel on the ground. Highly social mammals, chimpanzees live in communities made up of 30 to 60 members. The hair around a chimpanzee's face grays with age, and older chimpanzees often become bald. A chimpanzee's hair-lessįace can range in color from almost white to almost black. Most of its body is covered with long, black hair.
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Since its arms are longer than its legs, a chimpanzee walks on the ground using the soles of its feet and the knuckles of its hands. Researchers have documented chimpanzees making and using tools, expressing complex emotions, forming bonds and friendships, and communicating using sign language.Īn average chimpanzee stands 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall and weighs about 150 pounds (68 kilograms). In addition, the two groups share many social and psychological traits. Chimpanzees and humans share 98 percent of the same genetic makeup. Of the three, chimpanzees are the most closely related to humans. Range: Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Congo Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda Description and biologyĬhimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans are all considered great apes.
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