Description The chimpanzee is our closest living relative. Our common ancestor with the chimpanzee lived 5-6 million years ago.[1] This is indicated by the body structure, its genome, behavior and intelligence, as well as evidence of evolution known from fossils. The maximum age of chimpanzees in captivity can exceed 50 years. The oldest individual of the docile chimpanzee lived to be almost 60 years old in captivity.[2]

Chimpanzees weigh between 30–⁠60 kilograms[3][4] and measure around 1.2 meters.[5] The entire body of a chimpanzee, except for the face and palms, is covered with black or brown fur, but with increasing age, the fur on the head decreases[3] and the fur on the back turns gray.[4]


Behavior Chimpanzees are active mainly during the day. After dawn, they go for food and spend most of their time eating, resting and moving. Similar to gorillas, they prefer to move on the ground rather than climbing trees. They walk on all four limbs. At night, in gorilla fashion, each adult builds a nest to rest. We break and bend branches with leaves and weave them together. Here he stays and sleeps until morning.


Food The main food is the fruits of trees. A chimpanzee eats 4–5 hours a day. Other delicacies include freshly sprouted leaves, seeds, soft bark, sap, eggs, juicy resin and flowers.[4] Sometimes he also cracks the shells of nuts and other fruits with a stone.[10]

Chimpanzees are mostly vegetarians, but they also eat animals. Delicacies from the animal kingdom include termites, ants and caterpillars. When a chimpanzee finds a termite or anthill, it uses a stick to explore it. If the twig is sufficiently full of tasty morsels, the chimpanzee will pull it out and the insect will lick it off. A group of chimpanzees occasionally cooperates in hunting larger birds and mammals, including young pigs, monkeys and antelopes. They also cooperate at the subsequent banquet.