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Primates - Common Chimpanzee
Topic Started: Nov 8 2013, 05:56 AM (2,315 Views)
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Common Chimpanzee ~ Pan troglodytes

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General Information

Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Family: Homininae
Genus: Pan
Species: P. trogodytes

Location

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1. P. t. verus. 2. P. t. ellioti. 3. P. t. troglodytes. 4. P. t. schweinfurthii

Conservation Status

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Sizes
Weight32-60 kg (71-130 lb)
Length (average)63-94 cm (25-37 in)
Height (average)1-3-1.6 m (4 ft 3 in-5 ft 3 in)


In Zoos

Type of Exhibit: When designing chimpanzee enclosures, appropriately designed and placed furniture such as climbing structures, trees, large rocks, termite mounds, shade and weather shelters, hiding places, or dens, will enhance habitat complexity, reduce boredom, and encourage a variety of behaviors. The ability to engage in climbing, swinging on limbs and vines, arboreal play, and probing for treats may be essential to the normal physical development of infant and juvenile chimpanzees in captivity. Make sure the climbing structures or any kind of trees are far enough from the guest's areas to avoid scaping. A moat is always an useful thing to separate the animals from the guests.

The space offered to the chimpanzees should promote species-appropriate behavior, physical/mental development, social interactions, environmental complexity, psychological well-being, behavioral enrichment, observation, visitor education, and the opportunity for the chimpanzees to have as much control over their environment as possible.

The natural substrate of wild chimpanzee environments is a mix of soft and hard materials (e.g., rocks, dirt, grass, and forest litter). Modern zoo and aquarium facilities have experimented with “natural” substrates, including those with dirt, sand, hay, straw, and mulch. Deep-bedding floors show great promise, as they are designed to promote species-typical foraging opportunities, while providing a softer and more comfortable substrate that may have positive effects on behavior as well as joint-related physical ailments.

Individuals should be allowed access to heated areas when the temperature drops below 50°F (10°C). Localized warm areas can be provided using heated forced air, heated floors, heated rocks, or radiant heaters. USDA regulations require that the ambient temperature of the indoor area should never fall below 45°F (7°C) for more than four consecutive hours, but the AZA Chimpanzee SSP recommends that there should be 24-hour access to areas over 60°F (15.6°C) under normal circumstances. Chimpanzees that are too cold will act in ways similar to humans – shivering, self-clasping, etc. to show their discomfort. In captivity, chimpanzees require an indoor humidity level that ranges between 30-70%, which matches levels measured at Gombe during the dry season.

VIewing areas for gest could be above the chimpanzee level or windows that allow a closer contact with the animals.

Temperament: Chimpanzees are an active species, and environments for chimpanzees in captivity should encourage locomotion and exploration, while also providing adequate areas for privacy and resting.

Diet: : In the wild, chimpanzees primarily eat fruit, but their diets also include leaves, pith, seeds,
flowers, insects, and meat.

In captivity, chimpanzees should be fed a balanced diet that includes a mixture of vegetables, fruits, and nutritionally complete dry food. A good quality complete food (biscuits) with mixed produce (vegetables, fruits, greens) will compose the base diet, with minimal or no dairy and additional protein sources provided. Providing a supply of browse is important whenever possible by seasonal availability.

A water source should be provided to chimpanzees at all times, and should be cleaned on a regular basis to ensure that they contain water that is safe to drink. The frequency of cleaning may be dependent on animal usage and algae growth.

Social Needs: Chimpanzees in the wild often travel in “parties” of 3-7 individuals, with changing party composition over time. Party size may vary within similar habitat types due to the age, sex, and reproductive status of the individual members of the group. Exhibit space needs to be large enough to allow different types of parties to form, and for appropriate social interactions to occur in various parties. Designing environments that allow relatively large groups to be housed will also help promote the wide range of social interactions that are characteristic of the species, and help to promote psychological well-being.

Patterns of sociality may be affected by daily factors such as the estrus condition of females. Generally, females exhibiting estrus swellings elicit greater social attention, and may also influence intra-group competition between males. Likewise, there may be some differences in behavior based on increasing age, such as decreased play and decreased activity. Adolescence, specifically, is a time of important social change. As individuals move into sexual maturity, they spend less time with their mothers and more time with other members of their group. Females exhibit their first swellings and undergo social changes described above. Males may begin exhibiting “pestering” behavior that serves to explore their place in the social hierarchy.

Extra Information:
  • Chimpanzees and humans share a close evolutionary history, along with the other great apes. Chimpanzees (along with bonobos) are the species most genetically similar to humans. Depending on the form of analysis, humans and chimpanzees share up to 99.4% of their genetic structure. Because of this degree of similarity, some have argued that chimpanzees should be reclassified in the genus Homo, along with human beings. This particular taxonomic classification has not been widely accepted presently. Note also that chimpanzees are genetically more similar to humans than they are to gorillas.
  • There is little sexual dimorphism between males and females, but males tend to be slightly larger.
  • Chimpanzees can and do present almost all of the same hereditary diseases and disorders as do humans. In most cases, human specialists should be contacted for specific treatment regimens.
  • The youngest male to reproduce in the Gombe population was 12.9 years of age. In captivity, males have been known to successfully father offspring as young as six years of age. Although maturity in the wild does not usually begin until three years after the time of the first sexual development, males in captivity attain adult hormone levels at around seven years, and adult weight and dentition around 8-9 years.


Subspecies


Exhibit Examples
Edited by zoocrazy, Nov 8 2013, 08:39 AM.
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