Head and body length is 25.5-37.5 in. The face is usually bare and generally black. Young have flesh-colored ears, nose, hands and feet with a white patch near the rump. At maturity the overall skin color is dark with pelage ranging from deep black to light brown. Both sexes are prone to partial baldness early in maturity.
Chimpanzees are largely arboreal and diurnal.
Individuals, especially young, may brachiate from branch to branch, movement from tree to tree usually takes place on the ground. Ground travel is usually quadrupedal, allowing them to travel quite rapidly. Sleeping nests, which are usually only used once, are made in trees each night. Chimpanzees are known to make and use of a variety of tools, though tool use and nest-building seems to be learned rather than instinctive. Chimpanzees are social animals that live in communities and bonds between individuals are sometimes quite strong.