The chimpanzee might be the smartest animal on the planet-other than humans. This primate has amazed scientists with how it uses tools for various tasks, such as protecting itself, hunting, grooming and gathering food. The chimp is also known to wage "war" on others to claim extra territory. Most of the time, though, this ape is peaceful, using its long arms and hand-like feet when swinging through high tree branches.
Swinger: Chimps navigate easily through trees. Their hands have thumbs and their feet come equipped with thumb-like toes that can grip branches. Plus, their arms are longer and more muscular than their legs so they can easily grab branches and vines to swing from tree to tree.
Up and At 'Em: The chimp runs on all four limbs, but walks upright on just its hind legs.
Primitive Toolbox[]
Chimps groom each other and strengthen their family ties.
When scientists first studied the chimpanzee, they were stunned at how human-like the ape is and were shocked at examples of its high intelligence, such as the use of tools. A chimp will poke a stick into a termite mound, let termites climb all over it, then pull it out to devour the insects. The primate also uses rocks to smash open nutshells, and cleans itself with wet leaves. More amazingly, the chimpanzee also uses tools as weapons. This creature has been seen throwing rocks at enemies to ward them off, and even chasing away predators by beating them with large sticks!
Hostile Takeover: Chimps live in tight social groups (troops), and can be violent toward outsiders. Strong troops have been known to stalk and kill off other nearby troops in organized raids in order to take over their territory.
Ape Hunt: A chimp eats mostly fruits, but has a taste for meat once in a while. This ape can kill small deer, and several chimps together can overpower big baboons. Chimps have even been known to run off with human babies!
Aww, Nuts![]
- A small troop of chimpanzees begins to forage for food on the ground, a task that will take up six to eight hours of their day.
- After a while, the primates spot a tree that has several nuts hanging from its branches. After a quick climb, the chimps shake the nuts loose.
- The chimps gather the nuts that fall to the ground, and an older one teaches the young how to sue a rock to break open the nutshells.
Trivia[]
- The images used in "Aww, Nuts!" are also used in the Wildlife Explorer series; here, titled "Gathering Nuts", the is a bonus third image of the chimpanzees actually gathering the nuts off the ground.
- The chimpanzee is mentioned on Bigfoot's knowledge card, as people claim the cryptid may be a missing link between humans and other primates.
- The chimpanzee is featured on several Monster Mania cards:
- It is featured in It's All Relative! on Monster Mania 98.
- It is also featured in Animal All-Stars on Monster Mania 106.