Introduction
Common chimpanzee (lat. Pan troglodytes) - a species of primates from the hominid family ( Hominidae). Together with the pygmy chimpanzee it forms the genus chimpanzee ( Pan). Its physique is more robust and muscular than that of the pygmy chimpanzee, and its range is wider.
1. Subspecies
Several subspecies of the common chimpanzee are recognized:
Black-faced chimpanzee ( Pan troglodytes troglodytes), in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of Congo and Democratic Republic of Congo;
Western chimpanzee ( Pan troglodytes verus), in Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria;
Pan troglodytes vellerosus in Nigeria and Cameroon;
Schweinfurt's chimpanzee ( Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) in the Central African Republic, Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and Zambia.
2. Basic facts
Common chimpanzees live in the tropical forests and wet savannas of West and Central Africa. They once inhabited much of this area, but their habitat has been dramatically reduced in recent years.
Adults in the wild weigh from 40 to 80 kg; the height of a male individual can be 160 cm and a female 130 cm. The body is covered with coarse dark brown hair, with the exception of the face, toes, fingers and soles, part of the hair is white (around the mouth and on the tailbone). The skin of the cubs is pink and turns black when they reach sexual maturity. The menstrual cycle is 38 days, the gestation period lasts about 225 days. Chimpanzee babies are weaned when they are about three years old, but they usually maintain a close bond with their mother for several years. Chimpanzees reach sexual maturity at eight to ten years of age and have a lifespan of approximately 50 to 60 years. The female usually moves to another group, the male remains in the same group.
3. Food
The chimpanzee is an omnivore, but its diet is primarily plant-based (but eats meat whenever available), consisting of fruits, leaves, nuts, seeds, tubers, and other vegetation, as well as mushrooms, insects, honey, birds' [[eggs and small vertebrates. Primitive tools are created to extract termites and crack nuts. There are also cases of organized hunting; in some cases, such as the killing of leopard cubs, this is primarily a defensive action, since the leopard is its main natural predator. However, meat is an essential source of nutrition, and common chimpanzees sometimes form groups and hunt prey such as western red colobus monkeys and monkeys. Isolated cases of cannibalism and hunting of people were also recorded.
West African chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes verus) are the only non-human animals known to be able to create and use specialized tools to hunt. Chimpanzees in the savannah of southeastern Senegal were observed to create spears by tearing branches from a tree and removing their bark, then sharpening one end with their teeth. They then used this weapon, killing the animal. Where there are no red colobus monkeys, females and calves hunt sleeping Senegalese galagos ( Galago senegalensis), testingly poking homemade spears into hollows, and then checking whether they hit.
4. Behavior
Common chimpanzees live in communities that typically range from 20 to more than 150 individuals. They live in trees and on the ground for equal periods of time. Their normal gait is quadrupedal, using the soles of their feet and support on the joints of their arms, but they can walk upright for short distances. They spend the night in nests in trees, nests are built anew every evening (individuals raised in captivity, as a rule, do not know how to build nests). They sleep lying on their side with their knees bent or on their back with their legs pressed to their stomach.
5. Language
They communicate with each other using about 30 different sounds; gestures, postures, and facial expressions play a big role. They know how to cry (unlike humans - without tears), laugh. To call a relative, the monkey hoots, reinforcing the sounds with a specific “calling” facial expression. Pursed lips and a piercing gaze are a threatening demonstration (with such a face one rushes into a fight). The lips are parted, the gums are exposed, the mouth is slightly open - submission or fear. Similar facial expressions, but the teeth are clenched - this is an “obsequious smile” in the presence of a dominant individual. By smiling without showing their teeth, the cubs show that aggression is not serious. Whining sounds when the lips are extended into a tube are a sign of discomfort when the monkey needs food, grooming or something else. Stomping, the dominant individual drives away the subordinate.
Even if they want, chimpanzees can only learn a few words from human languages, since they pronounce sounds while inhaling, while humans pronounce sounds while exhaling. Experiments on teaching chimpanzees the language of the deaf and dumb were successful.
6. Divergence from other hominids
DNA studies published in 2004-2005 showed differences between the pygmy chimpanzee and the common chimpanzee, the species diverging less than a million years ago (about the same time as humans and Neanderthals). The split of the chimpanzee lineage from the last common ancestor of the human lineage occurred approximately 6 million years ago. Since no species other than Homo sapiens has survived, both varieties of chimpanzee are the closest living relatives of modern humans. The chimpanzee genus diverged from the gorilla genus about 7 million years ago.
Bibliography:
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"Encyclopedia of Wildlife". In 10 vols. T. 10. - M.: OLMA Media Group, 2007. 160 p., ill. - ISBN 978-5-373-00832-7
Aggression toward Large Carnivores by Wild Chimpanzees of Mahale Mountains National Park, Tanzania
Pruetz JD, Bertolani P (March 2007). "Savanna chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes verus, hunt with tools." Curr. Biol. 17 (5): 412–7. DOI:10.1016/j.cub.2006.12.042. PMID 17320393.
Chimpanzees break spears to hunt sleeping cuties
"1000 Wonders of Nature", 2007, pp. 192–193 ISBN 5–89355–027–7
Won YJ, Hey J (February 2005). “Divergence population genetics of chimpanzees.” Mol. Biol. Evol. 22 (2): 297–307. DOI:10.1093/molbev/msi017. PMID 15483319.
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Chimpanzee. Information for children
There is a lot of interesting information about chimpanzees for children. Children are always fascinated by these animals because of their physical resemblance to humans.
Chimpanzee most closely resemble humans among the representatives of the animal kingdom. By the way, chimpanzees share 98% of human genetic makeup. One of the interesting facts for children is that humans and chimpanzees had the same ancestors millions of years ago. Today they are endangered. “Why are they endangered?” - a question that interests many children. It is important to have a plan of action to prevent the extinction of these mammals. Let's take a look at some information about chimpanzees for children.
Interesting facts about chimpanzees for children
How often do we see large crowds of children near the chimpanzee cage at the zoo! Children are attracted by the expressive faces of these animals. At the same time, they are also very social, so children love to tease them and have fun. Kids will love the story of how a chimpanzee escaped from the Little Rock Zoo and then started cleaning the bathroom! What other animal could do something like that? Now let's take a look at some facts about the endangered chimpanzees.
Chimpanzee. Habitat Chimpanzee. physical characteristics . They have different complexions: from pink to black. Their body is covered with long black hair. But the most interesting fact about chimpanzees for children is the absence of a tail. They have fingers that help them hold various objects with ease. Although they are very similar to humans, differences still exist. They can walk on all four limbs. Although they typically walk on all fours for short distances, they can also walk on two. Being monkeys, they can also move from branch to branch. In an upright position, their height is 122 cm. Male chimpanzees are larger than females. Males weigh from 40 to 54 kg, females - from 27 to 50 kg.
Chimpanzees are a naturally occurring species on the African continent. Previously, they could often be found in Gambia, Benin, and Burkina Faso. However, nowadays they are barely detectable. Chimpanzees usually live in tropical forests, but also in forested areas, bamboo forests, swamps and sometimes open savannas. The fields are also habitat for chimpanzees. They usually live in trees and use leaves as nests.
Chimpanzee. Nutrition Like humans, chimpanzees are omnivores. Chimpanzees eat a variety of foods, from fruits, nuts and seeds to insects. Sometimes they may hunt for food. They usually hunt small baboons. They can also feed on buds, bark and tree trunks.
Chimpanzee social behavior Chimpanzees are social animals. They live in communities of approximately 50 members. There are from 3 to 6 families living in the community. There is a strict hierarchy within the group. The largest and strongest male chimpanzee leads the group. Typically, adult females can be part of various groups. However, when it comes to territory, there are strict rules. Conflicts usually arise when groups try to invade another's territory.
Chimpanzee. Offspring. At the age of 8-10 years, chimpanzees reach sexual maturity. Soon they begin to mate. One of the most interesting facts about chimpanzees is that a female chimpanzee does not mate until her offspring are three years old. Doesn't this confirm the fact that chimpanzee mothers are very devoted? Pregnancy lasts from 202 to 261 days. Typically, when chimpanzee mothers move from tree to tree, their babies cling to their mother's body. They stay with their mother until they reach sexual maturity, during which time they learn the rules of life from their mother.
Chimpanzee facts and information Unlike humans, chimpanzees use a variety of tools for a variety of purposes. They create tools for various reasons. Isn't this fact about chimpanzees interesting? They use branches and grass to create a means to catch termites from the bark of trees. They also use sticks and stones as projectiles when fighting. It is also interesting to observe how chimpanzees use stones to crack hard-shelled nuts.
Another interesting fact about chimpanzees: they are very gentle creatures. Chimpanzees can often be seen touching each other tenderly. They may even kiss and hold hands sometimes. Like humans, they use verbal and nonverbal signs to communicate. They make distinctive calls when they want to notify other members of the group that they have found food or are in danger. They use various facial expressions as a way of non-verbal communication.
These were some interesting facts about chimpanzees for children. Now we understand that there are also other animals, who are as smart as people. This may be why chimpanzees were also used to fly into space.
Chimpanzees live in the wild in South-West Africa (Republic of Guinea) and Central Africa (Belgian Congo). According to the descriptions of Nissen, who observed the lifestyle of chimpanzees in the area of the French research station "Pastoria", the nature there is extremely picturesque and diverse. Dense forest thickets alternate with open, hilly clearings covered with tall grass.
Panthers and wild cats hide in the thickets, huge buffalos and wild boars rush through the thickets of the forest, numerous herds of baboons roam, deer and antelopes run through in search of new pastures; Green monkeys are jumping through the trees; on the ground, rustling with long quills, porcupines make their way, giant snakes crawl hissing, every minute ready to curl up in a ball and jump up to catch and squeeze the victim in their grip. In the shallow rivers that cut through the terrain here and there, crocodiles lie motionless on the water. Flocks of birds fly in the air, countless insects flash and chirp.
But when night comes, a black, warm, humid tropical night, then all living things calm down, rest, calm down, but do not freeze completely. Here and there, against the background of sounds made by various animals, single chimpanzee cries are occasionally heard.
Shortly before sunrise, these screams become more frequent and louder. With the first glimmers of daylight, the black “four-armed” inhabitants of the forest awaken, they stand up on their night beds-nests located in the forks of the trees and carefully look around. Seeing their relatives on numerous adjacent trees, also sitting in nests, they announce the surrounding area with thunderous, rolling, hooting and grunting sounds, audible 10 km or more. Vocalization lasts from half a minute to half an hour. Then the chimpanzees start eating.
If the tree on which the nests are located contains edible stems, leaves, flowers or fruits (especially Naray's favorite fruits), then the chimpanzees begin to eat them, remaining on the same tree.
For the first half hour, they greedily consume food, often swallowing inedible parts (seeds, grains, nut shells), but as they become full, they become more and more picky.
Without leaving the tree, the chimpanzee most often grabs an edible fruit with his free hand, either his right or his left, and brings it to his mouth. To reach a high-lying fruit, the monkey pulls on a branch, bringing the fruit directly to its mouth and biting it off. A chimpanzee was once observed eating plums while hanging upside down from a tree.
Depending on the quality of the fruit, the chimpanzee swallows some of them whole, chews others well, and processes others by removing the outer skin and eating only the contents. But there are fruits that have both edible and inedible parts inside them; The chimpanzee eats the first ones, and throws away the last ones. In some cases, processing (for example, peeling) is carried out by the monkey so thoroughly that the removed skin is not torn off in shreds, but retains the configuration of the fruit. Juice is squeezed out of some monkey fruits. Nissen cites an observation of a female chimpanzee squeezing the juice of a Bomenti fruit into the open mouth of her baby. This fact, according to Nissen, was confirmed by the natives.
When searching for fruits on the same tree, chimpanzees do not observe any order in their search: they move from right to left, from the top to the base of the tree, from one branch to another.
Usually the chimpanzee stays on the tree until it picks all the fruits. Then he moves to another tree or moves to a new place where there is more food. Sometimes, seeing fruits on adjacent trees, the chimpanzee simply jumps from tree to tree (sometimes at a great height), then descends to the lower branches, and then to the ground. You can often see how a chimpanzee, being about 12 meters from the ground, clinging to a branch with its hands, swings, jumps forward and down to the ground, and then climbs up the tree on which it noticed the fruits.
Some flowers are also edible for chimpanzees; he takes the opportunity to catch with his hand and eat an insect flying nearby (beetle, dragonfly, butterfly), or climb into a bird's nest and drink bird eggs, or climb into a hollow and enjoy sweet honey, which he eats especially willingly.
Chimpanzees climb down from thick tree trunks with their heads up, and from thin tree trunks - head down. In general, a chimpanzee climbs up a tree more easily than gets down from it. Rarely does it move through trees in a horizontal position, using four limbs.
Food is found in abundance all around; it is extremely varied in appearance, color, shape, size, consistency, taste and smell.
The fruits are most often bright and dark green, brown, orange, yellow, less often - red, light purple, black. The shape of the fruits is also varied: often the fruits are spherical, less often in
de pods (Dundrch, Foray, Bonkwey); there are heart-shaped fruits (Naray); disc-shaped, lemon-shaped (Soujinyeh), oval (Gerenyi), in the form of clusters of berries (Mowkch).
As the sun rises higher and higher, chimpanzees leave the treetops and head to more shaded areas to search for food on the ground.
There are cases when chimpanzees, setting off on a further journey in a group, starting from a feeding place, break or tear off branches with fruits and drag them behind them, eating the fruits along the way. Often a broken branch with fruit is thrown to the ground; it is possible that, having tasted the fruits, chimpanzees reject them as inedible. The favorite food of chimpanzees (Troglodytes Schweinfurtii) is the large round, head-sized, brown fruits of a huge tree from the breadfruit family (Treculia). This fruit contains about a thousand seeds, the size of a bean, and the monkey carries it on his head, straightening up and standing on his feet, walking upright, like a man.
According to the observations of the natives, chimpanzees sometimes dig up wild sweet potatoes and the roots of certain plants from the ground.
Digging up roots during the summer drought, after the disappearance of greenery, has also been observed in Tenerife chimpanzees. It is characteristic that they dug the earth not only with their hands, but even with a stick in their hand, with which they dug the earth to a much greater depth than when they dug it with their hands.
Slowly, with stops, a group of chimpanzees (from 4 to 14 individuals) moves from place to place during the day, usually including several adult males, females, teenagers and very small cubs.
At the head of the group is the largest animal (male or female), teenagers run near their mother, babies hang under the mother’s breast, and older babies sit astride her back, tenaciously holding onto the fur with their hands.
The procession of the group is sometimes carried out randomly, but in one direction, and the appearance of one animal after another can be separated by a 5-10-15 minute period of time. Sometimes a group of chimpanzees (6 individuals) walks in single file at a close distance from each other.
Typically, chimpanzees move on all fours with a slow, measured, rhythmic gait, with stops, covering about 7-10 km per day, wandering mainly during the day. They sometimes migrate hundreds of miles.
There is great wariness of chimpanzees, especially the leader, during movement. Having heard or seen a suspicious object or person in the bushes, the leader immediately looks in the direction of danger; after him, other chimpanzees begin to look in the same direction. One day it was observed that a female chimpanzee with two babies, when looking at people in the distance, moved her head down and up, left and right, in order to better see them; she left, reappeared and peered intently into the distance.
People who have observed the natural life of chimpanzees emphasize that chimpanzees are curious. Having discovered danger, a chimpanzee often does not hide from it, but begins to examine the object that inspired fear. Nissen testifies to this: “The chimpanzee sitting on the ground looked intently in my direction, ... to get a better look at me, he moved up and down, right and left, and even moved away several sagging branches that blocked his view. He disappeared and after 1-2 minutes he appeared and looked again...” And another case. A huge black chimpanzee “looked at us first from one place, then from another, about 5 m away. He walked on all fours, but when he looked, he straightened up, holding his hand on a tree trunk or a hanging branch above. He moved back four or five times and then disappeared.” From these descriptions it is clear how strong the orienting reaction of chimpanzees is.
Chimpanzees are very sociable creatures. He is apparently afraid to be left alone, to be separated from his herd. A case was recorded in the wild when one female chimpanzee, lagging behind the general procession, uttered plaintive, screaming, moaning cries, and at this time she hit the tree with her hand (from 1 to 3 times), and once, when she was screaming especially irritably, she suddenly grabbed hanging branch above and pulled it down and up several times. No less interesting is another case when a chimpanzee, in a state of excitement, grabbed the fruits of a tree and tore them off.
Chimpanzees spend the time before noon walking, searching, and consuming food. But the hotter the day gets, the more the monkeys are drawn to rest, since they cannot stand the heat and try to hide from it. The onset of scorching heat stops the movement of the monkeys. Usually they approach the edge of the forest, where they settle down to rest or sleep on branches or forks in the shade of trees, or settle down on the ground in daytime nests, the so-called daytime beds.
These beds are patches of soil that the chimpanzees cover with thickets of grass, bent small shrubs, very young trees, or leafy branches of broken nearby trees. Sometimes small trees hang over these areas, bent by monkeys so that a kind of umbrella or canopy is formed. Sometimes these sun umbrellas are obtained by monkeys weaving together young shoots growing nearby to shade the “day beds” underneath. Sometimes these daytime nests are located in naturally shaded areas of the forest. On areas (about 7-8 m in size) that serve as daytime nests for monkeys, the grass is usually heavily crushed. Adult animals most often sleep during rest hours, young animals spend time playing.
Chimpazee's straw nest at the zoo. Photo: Martin Pettitt
The play of young animals is, first of all, a manifestation of a wide variety of motor activity: climbing trees, running, galloping on the ground, jumping from branch to branch and from tree to ground, swinging on branches, rolling on the ground. Grown-up cubs play catching and attacking. The game usually involves no more than two partners, approximately six years of age. To provoke a response, chimpanzees push, tickle their partner with their hands or feet and immediately run away to the side with lightning speed. Sometimes in the midst of play, babies try to bite each other. At the same time, they scream, perhaps from pain or fear. The game of young people can last up to 20 minutes; Usually the game is shorter and lasts 3-4 minutes.
As an exception, cases of chimpanzees playing with objects have been observed. For example, a six-year-old chimpanzee was once seen sitting in front of a stream and splashing the water with his hand; in another case, a chimpanzee, sitting in front of slowly flowing water and looking into it, grimaced and raised its head.
Nissen's descriptions cite one remarkable case when two adolescent chimpanzees (5-8 years old) were playing around a pile of leafy branches. They rode on it, after a while they moved a short distance and then again ran back to this pile and threw themselves on it. This went on for about 2 minutes; the object of the game turned out to be a kind of upside-down basket made of dense woody rubber vines. These vines were intertwined. It is possible, as Nissen thinks, that “this basket was originally designed by monkeys in the form of a “sun umbrella”, and later used as an object of play." The author excludes its manufacture by humans. Persons who observed chimpanzees in the wild note that with age, the play activity of chimpanzees decreases; adult, sexually mature chimpanzees usually do not play.
As the heat subsides, chimpanzees become active again and go on new searches for food. Typically, chimpanzees feed regularly in the early morning and late evening; at other times of the day they eat at indeterminate intervals.
Just before sunset, the chimpanzees prepare for the night's rest. They settle down for the night and begin building nests where dusk finds them. At this time, they often make moaning sounds in chorus until sunset. Usually one chimpanzee starts; later others join him.
Nests are usually built by adult chimpanzees; the cub is placed in the same nest with the mother, who builds a larger nest than solitary-nesting chimpanzees. The young begin to independently build a nest when they stop sleeping with their mother. It is known that babies live with their mother from the day they are born until they are 3-9 years old.
Before starting to build nests, members of the group walk through the forest, looking up, and seem to be looking for trees that are most suitable for nest building. Typically, they select trees that have forks perpendicular to the main trunk of the tree. If the nests are located in dense valley forests, then they are completely hidden from the observer. On sparsely wooded hills they are more noticeable. The nests of each chimpanzee family are usually located on neighboring trees, spaced from one another no further than 60 m. On one tree there are on average 1, 2, 3 nests located at a height of 2 to 16 m, but up to 13 nests can be placed chimpanzee.
Trees of various kinds are used to build nests, but each nest is built from branches of the tree on which it is located.
The foliage of nesting trees is different: the leaves are either wide or needle-shaped, reminiscent of the needles of our conifers (pine or spruce), and sometimes contain edible fruits (Naray, Gerenii, etc.). Palm trees are never used to build nests.
A chimpanzee, having climbed a tree, usually begins to make a nest at a level of 4 to 34 m from the ground. When building a nest, he stands in the middle of the base of the nest and takes out tree branches from one side or the other, tilting them towards himself; while the monkey's leg holds the branches in place and participates in the rough process of braiding them from above. The nest is never braided from below. The movements of chimpanzees when building a nest are fast but leisurely. Usually the entire construction is completed in 2-3 minutes, but sometimes the nest-building can last up to 25 minutes if the chimpanzee is distracted by eating, communicating with relatives, etc.
The chimpanzee's nest is oval-shaped, concave on the inside; it measures 47.5 x 57.5 cm and is 17.5 cm deep; it is built symmetrically and open at the top. The supporting part of the nest is the main horizontal fork of a tree, on which broken branches of the same tree, quite thick (up to 2 inches), are piled up and down, although the thickness of the branches can vary.
The chimpanzee intertwines some of the branches that make up the support of the nest, which provides better adhesion of the parts and strength of the nest. The chimpanzee does not break elastic branches, but only bends them. The inner surface of the nest is lined with broken apical shoots of the tree, and the deepened cavity of the nest is abundantly filled with leaves of the same tree; the leaves form a soft lining of the nest, providing the monkey with comfort while sitting or lying in the nest.
There is free air space above most of the nests. This allows the chimpanzee in the nest to survey the area and promptly detect anything suspicious or threatening to it.
Typically, a chimpanzee only uses the nest for one night. However, there is evidence that when returning to the same sites, chimpanzees can re-occupy old nests.
Often, when reusing a nest, the monkey has to renew it, since usually already on the fourth or fifth day the nest begins to deteriorate severely. In these cases, the chimpanzee additionally lines the nest with fresh, soft material, which provides more warmth and makes less noise when the monkey moves in the nest. Having built a nest, the chimpanzee settles down in it for the night and remains in it until the morning.
Given suitable conditions, chimpanzees build nests in trees and in captivity. Köhler reports that if a tree with foliage is placed on the site where the animals are located, the preparation of the nest begins within a few moments. The little chimpanzee Koko was still poorly able to climb a tree, but when he managed to climb at least 3 m, he bent the branches and immediately built a nest. Other adult chimpanzees made nests on the ground from a variety of objects.
Nest building in trees was a favorite activity of the young male chimpanzee Chima. But the young female chimpanzee Panzi did not build nests in the trees; she occasionally made only initial attempts to construct a nest on the ground.
Chim has occasionally successfully built several tree nests in New Hampshire. He climbed a tree, pulled twigs and branches towards him within their reach and, having pulled them up, folded them under him, broke small branches nearby and threw them onto the nest. Within 5 or 10 min. Chim built a nest of twigs and covered them with leaves; the nest was located at a level of 3-4.5 m from the ground; it was comfortable and strong enough to hold a chimpanzee sitting in it. Having made a nest, Chim used it for a short time, after which he turned to other activities. The chimpanzee never made a roof over the nest or tried to cover himself with branches or leaves while lying in the nest (as orangs usually do). He was more concerned with the construction process than with the use of the nest; he rarely reused nests that had already been built. Chim clearly preferred to make new nests in a new place. On the ground or indoors, Chim could construct nests from almost any suitable material, even from a rug, which he pulled towards him and folded.
The female chimpanzee Panzi once or twice climbed a tree and looked at the nest built by Chim or lay in it.
During field observations of the life of a chimpanzee in the wild, some of its characteristic psychological traits are noted.
In open places, where the chimpanzee is less protected than in the forest, he develops fear. It has been observed, for example, that chimpanzees retreat when a group of monkeys approaches. Nissen cites a case in which a female chimpanzee was frightened by a large bird flying above her, circling above a tree, under which, apparently, there was a baby monkey. Sensing danger, the female and the baby looked around and changed their position, and her lips trembled at the same time. The chimpanzee exhibits fear of humans, especially when the person walks towards the chimpanzee.
There are numerous examples demonstrating the chimpanzee's observation skills, caution and vigilance. For example, a chimpanzee easily notices every foreign, especially artificial, object that appears against the background of its familiar natural landscape.
In addition, he notices both the person’s attention specifically directed towards him and the person’s presence in general. In the first case, he tries to hide, in the second, he remains calm.
Nissen conducted the following experiment: a group of expedition members, making their way through the forest where chimpanzees were discovered, were asked to alternately not look at the chimpanzees, then pay attention to them. As a result of the observation, it turned out that in the first case, “some animals came down from the trees, but the majority remained where they were; in the second case, all the chimpanzees immediately moved 18 and disappeared.”
The chimpanzee itself does not attack a person, but when a person attacks him, he defends himself fiercely. As Junker writes, “Hunting chimpanzees is easy and convenient when you first find their hiding place. They move in the trees with measured steps and carefully, so that they cannot escape from a hunter with a good gun, like monkeys of other breeds, for example, the agile jumper Colobus, which above, in the leafy crown, runs from one tree to another faster than the hunter below can follow him into the dense bush. The chimpanzee, on the contrary, tries to hide and, in order to continue its journey, descends to the ground, where it can easily escape in the forest. An adult chimpanzee even there enters into a fight; his strength is great, he has powerful jaws, so in single combat he is a dangerous opponent... The strength of even a young chimpanzee is amazing. I once had difficulty snatching a stick from the paws of a half-grown animal. The baby is already grasping the finger so tightly with its paws that a certain amount of effort is required to free it.”
But a chimpanzee is able to get used to the presence of a person and to other phenomena that previously frightened him. Nissen cites a case where a group of chimpanzees were feeding at a distance of 76 m from a place where several native women were noisily washing clothes, talking and laughing. Chimpanzees were not afraid of the noise and whistle of the locomotive, building nests even not far (100 English yards) from the railway tracks.
The most important factor ensuring the survival of chimpanzees is their gregariousness. The strongest animal - the leader - takes care of protecting the entire herd. He is always ahead of everyone, the first to come to the rescue of the weak and little ones in trouble, and often at the risk of his life he goes to a suspicious place to save the cubs who have lagged behind. Cases of weak monkeys being carried from place to place by healthy monkeys have been described.
In life in the wild, the relationship between members of a chimpanzee herd is closely related to their ability to produce a variety of sounds that act as signals (vocal, vibratory, tapping), as well as to use facial movements and gestures. The rich facial expressions of a chimpanzee express subtle shades of its emotional states associated with sexual moments, with the manifestation of family and parental feelings in both females and males. These senses are highly developed in chimpanzees. Juncker vividly describes the behavior of a female caring for her calf in danger.
“At first I made my way through endless bushes, then the vaulted crowns of huge trees appeared above us. Meanwhile, some people were watching the movement of the animals and greeted me with exclamations: Over there! Chimpanzee! But the tree was so tall that I did not immediately notice one animal moving in the deciduous thicket... the chimpanzee left his place, and I clearly saw how the cub grabbed him around his chest. The female hurriedly looked for a sheltered place and, protecting the cub with her body, disappeared into the fork of two powerful branches. Only the fifth bullet knocked her down, despite the fact that I later found several severe bullet wounds on her. The old female finally instinctively drove the cub away from her, so that he remained unharmed at the top of the tree.”
Nissen cites the case of the selflessness of a male who saved his little cub. A family group of chimpanzees (3-4 individuals) passing in the same direction apparently noticed the observer, as some monkeys began to look at him; from time to time they stopped and then moved on. Then, as the author writes, “an exciting moment came: a large, well-built male, the largest I had ever seen, stopped, looked around and, leaning his hands on the rock, remained in an upright position for about two minutes. He looked at me persistently, without signs of fear. Again and again he looked in the direction from which the animals came and where they went. There was no excitement; he was gigantic, white-faced, silent. Suddenly and without warning he walked on all fours straight towards me: I thought it best to fall to the ground; About 9 meters from me, he stopped, grabbed something and ran back at random along the inclined plane. He was carrying a baby chimpanzee (maybe three years old). When he came closer to the top of a small valley, 7 meters from where he had stood before, he sat down with his back against a tree, facing me. He held the young animal in front of him between his legs.
The big male was clearly breathing heavily... I think what happened was that the young animal took a course towards me (west to southwest), I did not see him, and he did not see me, but the old male saw us both and noticed that the baby was walking in the direction of danger. To save the baby, perhaps his son or daughter, he went down at risk to himself. Remarkably, he didn't give any warning signal. I did not hear any vocalizations or other sounds produced by any animal during the entire observation period” 2.
Already from the above descriptions it is clear how, in the living conditions of a chimpanzee in the wild, he exhibits rapid orientation in difficult situations and how highly developed his adaptability to the environment is.
To complete the overview of the life of chimpanzees in natural conditions, we will mention the sounds made by chimpanzees and the ways in which they communicate with their own kind.
1. the sound of excitement or a choking cry;
2. cry of fear, pain;
3. barking, similar to the barking of dogs, as an expression of anger and irritation;
4. crying, whining;
5. Grumbling when eating food is a sign of satisfaction.
When analyzing the sounds made by chimpanzees, we established more subtle gradations, distinguishing 23 natural sounds.
According to Nissen, chimpanzees have 12 periods of sound activity during the day, each of which lasts from 0.5 minutes. up to 0.5 hours.
At dusk, as at night, chimpanzees rarely make sounds. Based on observations made on chimpanzees in the wild, Nissen notes that they have three methods of communication:
1. visual - through gestures;
2. tactile - by direct touch of one animal to another;
3. vibrator - by tapping on thick tree trunks and on the ground.
Nissen points out that a person can barely distinguish this last sound at a distance of 15 m, and argues that this sound is a communicative signal of danger. Judging by our observations of young chimpanzees, sometimes such tapping serves as a manifestation of the chimpanzee's playfulness and, perhaps, expresses a state of joyful excitement at moments of a kind of release of accumulated muscle energy. So, for example, our chimpanzee Joni sharply knocked the knuckles of one hand on hard objects, looking defiantly at a person, and after that he playfully jumped on him, or rushed past him.
It is important to note that in natural conditions, chimpanzees are surrounded by a rich plant world, colorful and diverse with an abundance of food of various types, colors, shapes, external and internal structures. This is associated with wide possibilities for the emergence of a selective attitude of chimpanzees to a rich assortment of plants.
Chimpanzees' vigilance is combined with greater powers of observation and the ability to discern fine details of objects. Various environmental stimuli attract the attention of chimpanzees and awaken their curiosity in captivity, which I. P. Pavlov repeatedly emphasized when he observed the free behavior of these monkeys and their handling of new objects. In addition, it should be emphasized that for monkeys, to a greater extent than for other mammalian animals, the physical properties of objects are important: color, shape, size, density, weight, surface structure, mobility of parts, while in the subject analysis of many other animals more The analysis of chemical properties is important: smell, taste, etc.
The migration of chimpanzees from place to place presupposes the enormous mobility of the animal itself, its great motor activity. Let us recall the chimpanzee’s ability to perform a wide variety of movements: running, walking, galloping, climbing, swinging, hanging, jumping, stomping, tumbling, etc. The chimpanzee’s migration also gives him the opportunity to meet a variety of living forest inhabitants.
Studying the lifestyle of chimpanzees in the wild shows how vigilant and wary they are when moving, avoiding animals and humans that are dangerous to them.
The chimpanzee's lifestyle places particularly high demands on the senses and, therefore, contributes to the development of various analyzers, primarily visual and auditory, signaling danger. On the basis of highly developed sensory differentiations, more complex forms of mental activity of chimpanzees are formed. In this activity, chimpanzee analyzers play a huge role, which we now turn to consider.
It’s probably no secret to anyone that for a long time in scientific circles the monkey was considered our closest relative, and the origin of man was traced back to the monkey. Now this scientific theory is being questioned; not all scientists believe that we, the so-called “Homo sapiens,” descended from monkeys. However, scientific debates on this matter are still ongoing, but our article is not about this, but about those amazing creatures, our smaller brothers, who, among all the diverse animal world of planet Earth, are really most similar in structure to us, people.
Monkey: description, structure, characteristics. What does a monkey look like?
Let's start with the fact that the very origin of the name “monkey” is very curious. Until the 16th century, we called the monkey “opitsa”; by the way, the Czechs still call it that way. After the Russian traveler Afanasy Nikitin returned from his famous trip to India, he brought into use the Persian name “abuzina,” literally meaning “father of fornication.” Subsequently, the Persian “abuzina” was transformed into “monkey”.
The body length of a monkey, depending on its species, can range from 15 cm (for the pygmy marmoset) to 2 m (for the gorilla). Also, the mass of a monkey can range from 150 grams for the smallest representatives of the species, up to 275 kg - this is how much huge gorillas weigh.
Many monkeys lead an arboreal lifestyle, that is, they predominantly live in trees and, as a result, have a long back, a shortened narrow chest, and thin hip bones. But orangutans and gibbons have a wide chest and massive pelvic bones.
Some monkeys have a very long tail, the length of which can even exceed the size of the body; the monkey's tail acts as a balancer when moving between trees. But monkeys living on the ground have a very short tail. As for monkeys without a tail, all “humanoid” monkeys do not have it (just as humans do not have it).
The body of monkeys is covered with fur of different colors, depending on the species it can be light brown, red, black and white, gray-olive. Some adult monkeys may turn gray with age, and male monkeys may go bald, again much like humans.
Monkeys have mobile, well-developed upper limbs, very similar to our hands, each with five fingers, and monkeys living in trees have short and large fingers, which allows them to comfortably fly from branch to branch.
Monkeys have binocular vision, many of them have black pupils.
The teeth of monkeys are also similar to humans; narrow-nosed monkeys have 32 teeth, and broad-nosed monkeys have 36.
The monkey’s brain is also very well developed; among other representatives of the animal world, only dolphins could compete with monkeys in terms of intelligence. Apes have entire sections of the brain responsible for meaningful actions.
Monkeys communicate with each other using a special signaling system consisting of facial expressions and sounds. The most “chatty” among them are monkeys and capuchins; they have rich facial expressions and are able to express a wide range of feelings.
Where do monkeys live
Monkeys live on all continents, with the exception of Antarctica, of course. In Europe they live only in Gibraltar, in southeast Asia, Africa (with the exception of Madagascar), Central and South America, and Australia.
Monkey lifestyle
Monkeys live in small families and, according to their lifestyle, are divided into arboreal monkeys, living in trees, and terrestrial monkeys, living on the ground. Monkeys tend to be sedentary and rarely leave their territory.
Sometimes there are clashes between male monkeys, with the goal of resolving the answer to the question “who is the main male here,” although often such clashes are limited to a demonstration of the strength of each male and do not lead to a real fight.
How long do monkeys live?
On average, the life expectancy of monkeys is 30-40 years. However, great apes live longer; they can live up to 50 years.
What do monkeys eat?
Monkeys are omnivores, and their diet depends on the species and also the habitat. Tree monkeys eat everything that can be obtained from the trees - various fruits, nuts, and sometimes insects.
Land monkeys eat rhizomes and shoots of plants (for example, ferns are a favorite delicacy of the gorilla), fruits (figs, mangoes, and, of course, bananas). Also, some monkeys know how to fish and happily eat mollusks, rodents, grasshoppers, beetles and other small animals.
Although there are species of monkeys that eat only one, specific food, for example, Japanese stump-tailed macaques are pure vegetarians and feed exclusively on tree bark, and the crab-eating macaque, as its name suggests, feeds on crabs.
Monkey Enemies
Unfortunately, the monkeys themselves have many natural enemies who are not averse to feasting on these primates. The most sworn enemies of monkeys are leopards, who are also capable of climbing trees well, and other predatory animals - lions, cheetahs.
Types of monkeys, photos and names
In general, all types of monkeys can be divided into:
- broad-nosed monkeys - this includes monkeys living on the American continent,
- narrow-nosed monkeys are all other monkeys that live in Africa, Asia, Australia and European Gibraltar.
Regarding different species of monkeys, zoologists have separately distinguished the species of anthropoid apes, species of small monkeys, etc. In general, there are more than 400 species of these primates in nature, below we will describe the most interesting of them.
It is a member of the spider monkey family. It is so named due to the fact that it produces characteristic sounds that can be heard at a distance of up to 5 km. Male black howler monkeys are covered with black fur and fully justify their name, but female black howler monkeys are not black at all, their fur is yellow-brown or olive in color. The length of this monkey is 56-67 cm, with a weight of 6.7 kg. The black howler monkey lives in South America, in countries such as Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina, and Bolivia.
Belonging to the prehensile-tailed family, the capuchin is an arboreal monkey that lives in trees. The weight of a capuchin is 3 kg. It has a brown or gray-brown color. A very curious feature of this species of monkeys is their habit of rubbing themselves with poisonous centipedes () to protect themselves from blood-sucking insects. Mourning capuchins live in the crowns of tropical forests in Brazil and Venezuela.
It got its unusual name thanks to its gray color with shades of blue and a white stripe of fur that runs over the eyebrows like a crown. The body length of the crowned monkey is 50-60 cm and weighs 5-6 kg. Monkeys live in African forests from the Congo River basin to Ethiopia and Angola.
Belongs to the apes of the gibbon family. It is 55-65 cm in length and weighs 5-6 kg. The coat color of the white-handed gibbon can be black, sand or brown, but its hands are always white, hence the name. These gibbons live in the tropical forests of China and the Malay Archipelago.
Eastern gorilla
Gorilla is the largest ape in the world. The average size of a gorilla is 185 cm with a body weight of 180 kg. Although sometimes you come across larger gorillas, weighing up to 220 kg. These huge monkeys are distinguished by their large heads, broad shoulders, and open chests. The color of the gorilla's coat is black; in old age, gorillas, like people, can turn gray. Despite their menacing appearance, gorillas prefer to eat grass and plant shoots rather than hunt game. Gorillas live in the equatorial forests of Central and Western Africa.
He is also a white-headed saki, in our opinion this monkey has the strangest appearance - the black color of his fur contrasts brightly with the white color of his face. The size of pale saki is 30-48 cm and weighs 2 kg. This is an arboreal monkey living in the forests of Brazil, Venezuela, and Suriname.
He is also a frog baboon, a species of narrow-nosed monkeys that spend their entire lives exclusively on the ground. It is also a fairly large monkey, the body length of the hamadryas is 70-100 cm, weight 30 kg. It also has an unusual appearance - long hair on the shoulders and chest forms a kind of fur cape. The hamadryas lives in both Africa and Asia in a number of countries, such as Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Yemen.
The proboscis monkey, also known as kahau, belongs to the monkey family. A striking feature of this monkey is its large nose, which the monkeys even have to hold with their hands while eating. It has a yellow-brown color. The size of the proboscis monkey is 66-77 cm and weighs 15-22 kg. It also has a long tail, which is equal in size to the length of their body. These unusual species of monkeys live exclusively on the island of Borneo.
Living in the northern part of the Japanese island of Honshu, this monkey is a real calling card of these places. The size of the Japanese macaque is 80-95 cm, weight 12-14 kg. These monkeys have bright red skin, which is especially noticeable on their face and buttocks, which are devoid of fur. Macaques living in northern Japan survive the cold winter months in special thermal springs, warming up in their hot waters (and at the same time attracting crowds of tourists from all over the world).
The Sumatran orangutan is a fairly large monkey, its size reaches one and a half meters and weighs 150-160 kg. In terms of size, the orangutan ranks second after the gorilla. It has well-developed muscles, a massive body covered with red hair, and is an excellent tree climber. The orangutan's face has fat pads located on the cheeks, and the beard and mustache give it a very funny look. The charismatic Sumatran orangutan lives exclusively on the island of Sumatra.
For some reason, monkeys are most associated with chimpanzees, which are the most characteristic representative of the monkey kingdom. Chimpanzees are also relatively large monkeys, their body length is 140-160 cm and their weight is 65-80 kg, that is, they are the same size as humans. The body of a chimpanzee is covered with black fur. It is also very curious that these anthropoid apes are the only ones who thought of creating a kind of tools that facilitate the process of obtaining food, they are able to sharpen the ends of sticks, turning them into imitation spears, they can use stone leaves as traps for insects, etc. Without a doubt, chimpanzees are the most intelligent among monkeys, and if Darwin’s theory is right, then they are the ones who are in the closest family relationship with us humans. Chimpanzees live mainly in Central and Western Africa.
And finally, it was impossible not to mention the pygmy marmoset - the smallest monkey in the world. Its length is only 10-15 cm, weight – 100-150 grams. They live in the forests of South America, feeding exclusively on tree sap.
Reproduction of monkeys in nature
Monkey reproduction occurs throughout the year and each species has its own individual characteristics. Puberty in monkeys usually occurs at 7-8 years. Some species of monkeys are monogamous and create permanent families for life, others, such as capuchins, on the contrary, are polygamous, so female capuchins mate with several males, and the males do the same.
A monkey's pregnancy can last from 6 to 8.5 months, again depending on the species. Usually one baby is born at a time, but there are species of monkeys that can give birth to twins.
Little monkeys, like real primates, are fed with their mother's breast milk, and the period of feeding also varies from one monkey to another. The female gorilla feeds her cubs the longest - this period lasts up to 3.5 years.
Keeping monkeys at home
Despite the fact that monkeys are wild creatures, they are nevertheless very easy to train, get used to captivity, and, under favorable conditions, feel quite comfortable in zoos. True, keeping a monkey at home is not the best idea, they are terrible mischievous and restless, and if you have already decided to have a pet monkey, then you should be prepared for it to create real chaos in your house. To prevent this, the monkey can be kept in a spacious cage.
You can feed the monkey fish, chicken or turkey, boiled eggs, vegetables, nuts, and fresh fruits.
- Some species of monkeys are very clean and spend almost the whole day caring for their appearance.
- During the development of astronautics, 32 monkeys have already visited space.
- Spider monkeys have such a developed and strong tail that they can easily hang on a tree branch with its help alone.
- A group of American scientists managed to teach a female gorilla a certain number of words from the language of the deaf and dumb, after which she was able to quite successfully communicate with people.
Monkeys, video
And in conclusion, an interesting documentary about monkeys from the Discovery Channel - “Monkeys on the Warpath”
When writing the article, I tried to make it as interesting, useful and high-quality as possible. I would be grateful for any feedback and constructive criticism in the form of comments on the article. You can also write your wish/question/suggestion to my email. [email protected] or on Facebook, sincerely the author.
Order - Primates / Suborder - Dry-nosed monkeys / Infraorder - Apes / Parvoorder - Narrow-nosed monkeys / Superfamily - Apes / Family - Hominids / Genus - Chimpanzees
History of the study
The common chimpanzee (lat. Pan troglodytes) is a species of primate from the family Hominidae. Together with the pygmy chimpanzee, it forms the genus chimpanzee (Pan). Its physique is more robust and muscular than that of the pygmy chimpanzee, and its range is wider.
Spreading
Common chimpanzees live in the tropical forests and wet savannas of West and Central Africa. They once inhabited much of this area, but their habitat has been dramatically reduced in recent years.
Appearance
These are large animals, up to 1.5 m tall and weighing up to 50 kg or more. Sexual dimorphism is weakly expressed - females are slightly smaller and lighter than males. The head is large - the brain volume is about 600 cubic meters. cm. The ears are large, almost human. A pulled-up lip and a small, snub nose, as well as expressive facial expressions, give the chimpanzee the appearance of a humanoid creature. The face, feet and hands are covered with wrinkled skin. Complexion ranges from light to dark. The skin of the body and limbs is light. Chimpanzees are covered with black fur and all have a white beard on their faces. Very long, muscular, long-fingered arms and a short first digit help chimpanzees move through trees and foraging for food. The legs are short, the first toe is stronger than the others.
Reproduction
The breeding season for chimpanzees lasts throughout the year. After 7.5 months of pregnancy, the female has only one offspring - helpless and naked. The baby is completely dependent on its mother for several years. Males mature at 8 years of age, and females begin to reproduce at 7–10 years of age. Common chimpanzees live over 55 years.
Lifestyle
Common chimpanzees are diurnal animals. At night, each monkey builds a nest high above the ground from branches and leaves. Only females and their young sleep together. During the day, chimpanzees spend about a third of their time on the ground, and the rest of the time in the trees.
Chimpanzees are social - each group maintains a strict hierarchy. Groups vary in composition and number of individuals: usually one male dominates a group of females, their cubs and males subordinate to him. There are groups consisting only of females with cubs led by a female. There are groups of young males who obey one leader. There are the smallest associations of a female and a male. The number of chimpanzees in a troop can be more than 40 individuals.
They communicate with each other using about 30 different sounds; gestures, postures, and facial expressions play a big role. They know how to cry (unlike humans - without tears), laugh. To call a relative, the monkey hoots, reinforcing the sounds with a specific “calling” facial expression. Pursed lips and a piercing gaze are a threatening demonstration (with such a face one rushes into a fight). The lips are parted, the gums are exposed, the mouth is slightly open - submission or fear. Similar facial expressions, but the teeth are clenched - this is an “obsequious smile” in the presence of a dominant individual. By smiling without showing their teeth, the cubs show that aggression is not serious. Whining sounds when the lips are extended into a tube are a sign of discomfort when the monkey needs food, grooming or something else. Stomping, the dominant individual drives away the subordinate.
Even if they want, chimpanzees can only learn a few words from human languages, since their speech apparatus is structured differently than that of humans. Experiments to teach the chimpanzee Washoe, and then her other fellow tribesmen, the language of the deaf and dumb were successful.
Nutrition
The chimpanzee is an omnivore, but its diet is primarily plant-based (but eats meat whenever available), consisting of fruits, leaves, nuts, seeds, tubers, and other vegetation, as well as fungi, insects, honey, bird eggs, and small vertebrates. . Primitive tools are created to extract termites and crack nuts. There are also cases of organized hunting; in some cases, such as the killing of leopard cubs, this is primarily a defensive action, since the leopard is its main natural predator. However, meat is an essential source of nutrition, and common chimpanzees sometimes form groups and hunt prey such as western red colobus monkeys and monkeys. Isolated cases of cannibalism and hunting of people were also recorded.
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