According to International Fund for Animal Welfare, chimpanzees in the wild is thought to range from somewhere between 1.7 to 3 lakhs, coming down from a million in the 1980s.
Inhabiting west and central Africa, it is on the IUCN Red List, losing its life to poachers and habitat to excessive development.
On World Chimpanzee Day let's brush up on some intriguing facts about this great ape species.
Female chimps typically have a baby once every 5-6 years. Young chimps hand on to their mother’s fur in their early years. Or ride on her back till they’re around 3-5 years!
When one of their group dies, chimps respond with deep emotion. Mothers may hold onto their baby’s lifeless body for days, sometimes even weeks, unwilling to part with it.
Or mainly fruit eaters. Top fruit choices -- bananas, of course, mangoes, watermelon, figs, apples. They also eat nuts, chiefly palm oil nuts, blossoms, bark. They love honey.
Fruit is their fave treat. But food isn’t just about filling their bellies. When unwell, chimpanzees have been seen nibbling on bitter plants or eating certain leaves without chewing.
These clever primates use tools to solve everyday problems. They are spotted smashing nuts with stones, poking sticks into termite mounds to catch bugs. Here, a chimp measures water depth with a stick.
They often sit together, carefully picking through each other’s fur to clear out bugs, dust, old skin. Sounds a bit icky, doesn’t it? But for them, it’s not just about hygiene, it’s a key way to build trust within the group.
Chimpanzees stick together in large social groups known as communities with, which 15 to 80 individuals. These groups are usually led by a strong, high-ranking male.
One of the longest-living chimps was Little Mama, an ice skating female, living in Florida. She died in 2017 at around 76-82. Most chimps in human care live to about 38. Hers was a remarkable case.
US-based chimp Washoe was the 1st first non-human to grasp American Sign Language. She expressed herself via over 350 signs, using her hands to share thoughts/feelings with people.
CNN recently reported that chimps are copycats mimicking each other's 'fashion trends'. For example, if one decorates his/her ears with twigs, others follow suit.