Dryopithecus (SciiFii)

The European chimpanzee (Dryopithecus europeansis), also known as the European bonobo, is a species of great ape that originally lived from the middle–late Miocene boundary of Europe 12.5 to 11.1 million years ago (mya) as an extinct species of Dryopithecus and was once extinct, but has since been brought back from extinction by SciiFii and introduced throughout the swamps, forests, and open woodlands across Europe to help boost biodiversity. The European chimpanzee is placed into the tribe Dryopithecini, which is related to an offshoot of orangutans and African apes. A male European chimpanzee usually weigh about 44 kg (97 lb) in life. The European chimpanzee predominantly feeds on ripe fruit from trees, allowing a degree of suspensory behaviour to reach them, though the anatomy of a humerus and femur allows a greater reliance on walking on all fours (quadrupedalism) more similar to chimpanzees than orangutans. The face is similar in appearance to gorillas, and males have longer canines than females, which is typically correlated with high levels of aggression. They live in a seasonal, paratropical, temperate, and boreal climate, and they build up fat reserves for winter. The European chimpanzee is a highly adaptable species. It lives in a variety of habitats, including dry savanna, evergreen rainforest, montane forest, swamp forest dry woodland-savanna mosaic, semideciduous and evergreen forests, as well as open woodlands. The European chimpanzee is an omnivorous frugivore. It prefers fruit above all other food items but also eats leaves and leaf buds, seeds, blossoms, stems, pith, bark and resin. While the European chimpanzee is mostly herbivorous, it does eat honey, soil, insects, birds and their eggs, and small to medium-sized mammals, including other primates. Despite the fact that European chimpanzees are known to hunt, and to collect insects and other invertebrates, such food actually makes up a very small portion of their diet, from as little as 2% yearly to as much as 65 grams of animal flesh per day for each adult European chimpanzee in peak hunting seasons. This also varies from troop to troop and year to year. However, in all cases, the majority of their diet consists of fruits, leaves, roots, and other plant matter. Female European chimpanzees appear to consume much less animal flesh than males. European chimpanzees live in communities that typically range from around 20 to more than 150 members, but spend most of their time travelling in small, temporary groups consisting of a few individuals, which may consist of any combination of age and sex classes. Both males and females sometimes travel alone. This fission-fusion society may include groups of four types: all-male, adult females and offspring, both sexes, or one female and her offspring. These smaller groups emerge in a variety of types, for a variety of purposes. For example, an all-male troop may be organised to hunt for meat, while a group consisting of lactating females serves to act as a "nursery group" for the young. At the core of social structures are males, which patrol the territory, protect group members, and search for food. Males remain in their natal communities, while females generally emigrate at adolescence. As such, males in a community are more likely to be related to one another than females are to each other. Among males there is generally a dominance hierarchy, and males are dominant over females. However, this unusual fission-fusion social structure, "in which portions of the parent group may on a regular basis separate from and then rejoin the rest," is highly variable in terms of which particular individual chimpanzees congregate at a given time. This is caused mainly by the large measure of individual autonomy that individuals have within their fission-fusion social groups. As a result, individual European chimpanzees often forage for food alone, or in smaller groups as opposed to the much larger "parent" group, which encompasses all the European chimpanzees which regularly come into contact and congregate into parties in a particular area. Male European chimpanzees exist in a linear dominance hierarchy. Top-ranking males tend to be aggressive even during dominance stability. This is probably due to the European chimpanzee's fission-fusion society, with male European chimpanzees leaving groups and returning after extended periods of time. With this, a dominant male is unsure if any "political maneuvering" has occurred in his absence and must re-establish his dominance. Thus, a large amount of aggression occurs within five to fifteen minutes after a reunion. During these encounters, displays of aggression are generally preferred over physical attacks. While European chimpanzee social structure is often referred to as patriarchal, it is not entirely unheard of for females to forge coalitions against males. There is also several cases of females securing a dominant position over males in their respective troop, albeit in a captive environment. Males maintain and improve their social ranks by forming coalitions, which have been characterised as "exploitative" and are based on an individual's influence in agonistic interactions. Being in a coalition allows males to dominate a third individual when they could not by themselves, as politically apt chimps can exert power over aggressive interactions regardless of their rank. Coalitions can also give an individual male the confidence to challenge a dominant or larger male. The more allies a male has, the better his chance of becoming dominant. However, most changes in hierarchical rank are caused by dyadic interactions. European chimpanzee alliances can be very fickle and one member may suddenly turn on another if it is to his advantage. Low-ranking males frequently switch sides in disputes between more dominant individuals. Low-ranking males benefit from an unstable hierarchy and often find increased sexual opportunities if a dispute or conflict occurs. In addition, conflicts between dominant males cause them to focus on each other rather than the lower-ranking males. Social hierarchies among adult females tend to be weaker. Nevertheless, the status of an adult female may be important for her offspring. Females in Taï have also been recorded to form alliances. Social grooming appears to be important in the formation and maintenance of coalitions. It is more common among adult males than adult females and between males and females. European chimpanzees have been described as highly territorial and will frequently kill other European chimps. The European chimpanzees, like their African counterparts, "wage wars" against other unrelated troops over territory, not mates. Patrols from smaller groups are more likely to avoid contact with their neighbours. Patrols from large groups even take over a smaller group's territory, gaining access to more resources, food, and females. The conservation status of the European chimpanzee is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts and the European chimpanzee's wide range.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii