The chimpanzee (/ ˌtʃɪmpænˈziː /; Pan troglodytes), also simply known as the chimp, is an endangered species of great ape native to the forests and savannahs of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed one.
chimpanzee, (Pan troglodytes), species of ape that, along with the bonobo, is most closely related to humans. Chimpanzees inhabit tropical forests and savannas of equatorial Africa from Senegal in the west to Lake Albert and northwestern Tanzania in the east.
Chimpanzees have the widest range of any great ape. Though many populations live in tropical rainforests, they can also be found in woodlands and grasslands spanning from central to western...
Chimpanzees have the widest geographic distribution of any great ape species, spanning more than 2.6 million square kilometres. The chimpanzee habitat is typically found within tropical rainforests, although they do also live in woodlands and grasslands around West and Central Africa.
Like us, chimps are highly social animals, care for their offspring for years and can live to be over 50. In fact, chimpanzees are our closest cousins; we share about 98% of our genes. In their habitat in the forests of Central Africa, chimpanzees spend most of their days in the treetops.
Gain key facts about the different types of chimpanzee subspecies, their characteristics, habitats, and why they matter.
Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are among human’s closest relatives. Once spanning the range of equatorial Africa, these highly social primates are now largely confined to the forests of Central Africa. They have lost much of their habitat due to human-caused deforestation and poaching.
Chimps range across tropical Africa, inhabiting dense rainforest and dry savannah woodland from West Africa to Uganda and Tanzania in the east. The common chimpanzee, along with the pygmy chimpanzee or bonobo, is the closest living relative of humans.