Pan troglodytes

Pan troglodytes, commonly known as the chimpanzee, is a species of great ape native to the forests and savannahs of tropical Africa. It has four subspecies: the Western chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus), the Central chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes troglodytes), the Eastern chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii), and the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes ellioti).

Taxonomy

The species Pan troglodytes is part of the genus Pan, which also includes the bonobo (Pan paniscus). The genus Pan is part of the family Hominidae, which also includes gorillas, orangutans, and humans.

Description

Chimpanzees are covered in coarse black hair, but their faces are bare except for a short white beard. Infants are born with a whitish coat and a pink face, which darkens with age. The chimpanzee's body is adapted for both arboreal and terrestrial locomotion. Their arms are longer than their legs, and they move on all fours using their knuckles for support, a form of locomotion called knuckle-walking.

Behavior

Chimpanzees live in social communities which range in size from 20 to more than 150 members. They are both diurnal and omnivorous, with a diet that includes fruits, leaves, flowers, seeds, insects, and meat. They are known for their use of tools, such as using sticks to extract termites from their mounds, and rocks to crack open nuts.

Conservation

The chimpanzee is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List due to habitat loss, hunting, and disease. Conservation efforts include the establishment of national parks and reserves, as well as education and sustainable development initiatives in local communities.

See also

• Jane Goodall
• Chimpanzee genome project
• Chimpanzee–human last common ancestor