Lifespan
Average of 45 years
in the wild
Wildlife Reserves Singapore Group
Lifespan
in the wild
Diet
Monkeys, wild pigs and small antelopes are also hunted.
Habitat
woodlands and grasslands
Range
to western Tanzania and western Uganda
Puzzle boxes and ‘termite mounds’ in the exhibit are filled with condensed milk or honey. To get at the sweet treat, our chimps search for sticks that fit or shape unsuitable ones to do the job.
Chimps in the wild gather insect ‘kebabs’ or spear grubs in logs in a similar manner. They also use stones to crack nuts and leaves as napkins, or as sponges to dip for water. Tool use varies between communities - ‘culture’ may play a key part in knowledge transmission among chimps.
Young chimps usually stay with their mothers till they are seven, in order to learn survival skills. One of these skills may be knowledge of medicinal plants - chimps that appear ill have been noted to seek out herbs with healing properties. Mothers and their young develop a close bond that may last a lifetime.
Chimps communicate through body language, facial expressions, hand-clapping, grooming and kissing. Some chimps have even learnt how to use human sign language!
Many rainforest animals are threatened by deforestation, habitat degradation, and the illegal wildlife trade. Visit our conservation pages for more information on projects that WRS supports, and to find out how you can get involved too.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is widely recognized as the most comprehensive, objective global approach for evaluating the conservation status of plant and animal species.
At relatively low risk of extinction
Likely to become vulnerable in the near future
At high risk of extinction in the wild
At very high risk of extinction in the wild
At extremely high risk of extinction in the wild
Survives only in captivity
No surviving individuals in the wild or in captivity
