Īlong with the common chimpanzee, the bonobo is the closest extant relative to humans. Because of political instability in the region, and the general timidity of bonobos, there has been relatively little field work done observing the species in its natural habitat.Īccording to studies published in 2017 by researchers at The George Washington University, the ancestors of the genus Pan split from the human line about 8 million years ago moreover, bonobos split from the common chimpanzee line about 2 million years ago. The bonobo inhabits primary and secondary forest, including seasonally inundated swamp forest. The species is predominantly frugivorous, compared to the often highly omnivorous diets and hunting of small monkeys, duiker and other antelope exhibited by common chimpanzees. The bonobo is found in a 500,000 km 2 (190,000 sq mi) area within the Congo Basin of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Central Africa. Some individuals have sparser, thin hair over parts of their bodies.

īonobos are distinguished from common chimpanzees by relatively long limbs, pinker lips, a darker face, a tail-tuft through adulthood, and parted, longer hair on its head. Taxonomically, the members of the chimpanzee/bonobo subtribe Panina-composed entirely by the genus Pan-are collectively termed panins. While bonobos are, today, recognized as a distinct species in their own right, they were initially thought to be a subspecies of Pan troglodytes, due to the physical similarities between the two species. Gunn, Cha Mia & Lifflick, Melissa & Mathis, Jocelyn, Chimpanzees, retrieved 9/18/09, /~mathijo/chimp.The bonobo ( / b ə ˈ n oʊ b oʊ, ˈ b ɒ n ə b oʊ/ Pan paniscus), also historically called the pygmy chimpanzee (less often the dwarf chimpanzee or gracile chimpanzee), is an endangered great ape and one of the two species making up the genus Pan (the other being the common chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes). Some scientists believe that this may even give us insight into the evolution of the human species.Ĭhoi, Charles, Special to Live Science, 2/22/07, retrieved 9/18/09, /animals/070222-chimp-hunters.html Some chimps in the savanna have even been observed sharpening sticks with their teeth and using them to hunt bushbabies. Whatever the reason is for the behavior, it is certainly proof that these creatures are very intelligent. Others believe that they eat meat for nutrition purposes, though they seem to do okay without it. Some experts believe that it is a social behavior and that the sharing of the meat has a social significance. There are several theories that seem to explain why chimpanzees hunt. Some experts believe that this sharing is part of the reason that chimps hunt when they could easily survive without the meat. The meat from the hunt is then shared among the chimps in the group’s community. They hunt prey both on the ground and in the trees, though they mostly hunt in the trees as red colobus monkeys are their favorite source of meat. The groups are typically made up of males, but females have been known to join the hunt and hunt on their own. However, Goodall observed them actively hunting, killing and eating various prey and it became known that they were omnivorous.Ĭhimpanzees hunt alone or in groups of up to thirty-five individuals. Until the 1960’s when primatoligist Jane Goodall was studying chimpanzees, it was believed that these animals were strictly vegetarian. They seek mostly fruits and vegetables because meat only makes up about 3% of their overall food intake. Even more interesting is the way they hunt for it.Ĭhimpanzees live in tropical rainforest, savanna and grasslands in Africa, where they spend about six hours each day, hunting or foraging for food. What is quite interesting is that they are omnivorous, like humans, which makes them and their close cousins the bonobos, the only other members of the great ape family that eat meat. Like humans, chimpanzees are able to form a number of facial expressions, they are also able to make rudimentary tools. They are known for their intelligence and their remarkable resemblance to humans. They have long arms, short legs and opposable thumbs and toes. Chimpanzees are relatively large primates that are nearly covered in black hair.

Food habits of chimpanzees