CHIMPANZEES

Description: Chimpanzees have coarse dark brown or black hair, occasionally tinted with silver hairs. They have pinkish to black, bare skin on their faces, ears, palms of their hands and the soles of their feet. Their arms are longer than their legs, which help them climb high in the trees and swing from one branch to another. Like humans, chimpanzees have opposable thumbs, which allow them to grasp objects and manipulate food.

Size: Chimpanzees are much larger than most people realize. Many people are accustomed to seeing chimpanzees in the media, on greeting cards or in a movie. As a result, most of us have only been exposed to the smaller babies and juveniles. Adult chimpanzee males are larger than females in both height and weight. The male stands over four feet tall and weighs, on average, 130 pounds, while the female is closer to three feet tall and weighs approximately 100 pounds or less.

Anatomy: In general, the chimpanzee has a shortened spine and a relatively short, broad pelvis which lowers the center of gravity in apes, thereby facilitating a more upright posture. Apes have a broad chest, with the shoulder blades at the back, which allows an exceptionally wide range of movement in the shoulder joint. They also have a flattened face, well-developed jaws, grasping hands and feet and downward-directed, close set nostrils.*

Lifespan: Chimpanzees in the wild can live to be as much as 40 years where as captive chimpanzees average lifespan is 34+ years of age. At this age most are considered geriatric. The oldest documented (captive born), Gamma, lived to be 59.4 years old when she died at Yerkes.