Chimpanzees Temporal range: Middle Pliocene – Recent |
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Common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Primates |
Suborder: | Haplorhini |
Family: | Hominidae |
Subtribe: | Panina |
Genus: |
Pan Oken, 1816 |
Type species | |
Pan troglodytes Blumenbach, 1775 |
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Species | |
Distribution of Pan troglodytes (common chimpanzee) and Pan paniscus (bonobo, in red) | |
Synonyms | |
Troglodytes E. Geoffroy, 1812 (preoccupied) |
Troglodytes E. Geoffroy, 1812 (preoccupied)
Mimetes Leach, 1820 (preoccupied)
Theranthropus Brookes, 1828
Chimpansee Voight, 1831
Anthropopithecus Blainville, 1838
Hylanthropus Gloger, 1841
Pseudanthropus Reichenbach, 1862
Engeco Haeckel, 1866
Fsihego DePauw, 1905
Chimpanzees (sometimes called chimps) are the species of the great apes in the genus Pan, consisting of the common chimpanzee and the bonobo. Together with gorillas, they are the only great apes that are currently restricted in their range to Africa. Native to sub-Saharan Africa, both chimpanzees and bonobos are currently found in the Congo jungle.
They were once considered to be one species; however, since 1928, they have been recognized as two distinct species: the common chimpanzee (P. troglodytes) who live north of the Congo River, and the bonobo (P. paniscus) who live south of it. In addition, P. troglodytes is divided into four subspecies, while P. paniscus has none. Based on genome sequencing, the two extant Pan species diverged around one million years ago. The most obvious differences are that chimpanzees are somewhat larger, more aggressive and male-dominated, while the bonobos are more gracile, peaceful, and female-dominated.
Their hair is typically black or brown. Males and females differ in size and appearance. Both chimps and bonobos are some of the most social great apes, with social bonds occurring among individuals in large communities. Fruit is the most important component of a chimpanzee's diet; however, they will also eat vegetation, bark, honey, insects and even other chimps or monkeys. They can live over 30 years in both the wild and captivity.