Western Chimpanzee

Pan troglodytes verus

Easy (Promiscuous)

The **Western Chimpanzee** (*Pan troglodytes verus*) is a mid-sized African primate featured in the Standard Edition of *Planet Zoo*.

## Zoopedia Description

### General

**Population in the Wild:** 18,000-60,000

The Western chimpanzee (or Pan troglodytes verus) is a subspecies of the common chimpanzee native to the forests of Guinea, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone and the Ivory Coast. Along with bonobos, they are the closest living relatives of human beings, sharing more than 98% of our DNA.

They are critically endangered, heavily threatened by the loss of their habitat - something accelerated by deforestation and the expansion of human agriculture. They are also targeted by poachers for bushmeat, traditional medicines and also capture for the illegal pet trade. As a result, all chimpanzees are protected by national and international laws, but enforcement of those laws is weak and remains an ongoing problem. While 30% of chimps live within national parks where they receive ample protection, those living in the wild are very vulnerable from outside threat.

Western chimpanzees are extremely intelligent and socially capable animals. They have black hair, brown skin and eyes, long arms, hands and feet, with opposable thumbs that allow for more complex motor functions. While the subspecies is not that visually distinct from the Central and Eastern chimpanzees, the population of Western chimpanzees has been isolated for half a million years and is now genetically distinct.

### Social

Chimpanzees are very social animals, living in large groups in the wild. Males are dominant in chimpanzee society, with their age being a primary determining factor in their hierarchy. The males in individual groups are interrelated, while unrelated females migrate in from other groups, and they will all further their social bonding by hunting together and grooming each other. They will even learn skills from one another, such as how to use sticks and rocks as tools.

### Reproduction

Chimpanzees are promiscuous animals, with both males and females mating with multiple partners throughout their lifetime. The alpha male gets first pick of a female partner, while some males may keep their chosen females away from other males because of their promiscuity. The pregnancy of a female chimp lasts 8 months before giving birth to a single infant, which the mother will take care of until it reaches around 4 years old. At this point, the offspring will begin to distance from its mother. It's at this age that young males will begin to form close bonds with other males within the group, while females will begin to explore away from the family group. Then, at 10 years old, the females will leave in search of an unrelated group, while the males remain with their original family.

## Animal Care

 FEEDING STATIONS
 FOOD ENRICHMENT
Block of Frozen Fruit · Forage Box Enrichment · Small Fixed Roller Feeder · Suspended Forager · Termite Mound · Tool Puzzle Feeder · Tree Forager
Bobbin · Cardboard Box · Climbing Frame · Curio Ball · Grab Ball · Mirror Mobile · Musical Keyboard · Sprinkler · Ice Block · Gift Box · Bobbin Drum

## Trivia

### Zoopedia Fun Facts

* Western chimpanzees are the only subspecies of chimp that make spears to hunt other primates. Chimps can be very aggressive and in the wild, they will plan attacks and ambushes on rival groups.
* Chimpanzees have been successfully taught sign language. Washoe, a wild-born chimp who was captured by the US Air Force and subsequently lived with two researchers from the University of Nevada, learned 350 signs and taught some of them to her son.
* Chimpanzees have been observed collecting fermented alcoholic sap from palm trees in leaves and drinking it. They seem to enjoy alcohol and when an alcohol source is discovered, they will return to it.
* Chimps have been observed keeping hyraxes as pets for a time in the wild.
* Chimps use medicine; when they are sick they eat certain types of leaves to settle their upset stomach and kill parasitic worms.