Chimpanzees have short legs and long arms. Long black hair covers most of their bodies. Their faces, ears, fingers, and toes are bare.
Chimps are active during the day, searching for and eating food. They eat insects, leaves, fruit, stems, buds, and bark. They have been known to be carnivorous at times. They climb into trees to eat and sleep.
Chimps have hands that can grip firmly. They use objects for special purposes. They have been seen using sticks to drive intruders away. They use a twig or blade of grass to fetch termites or ants from the ground. They push a twig into the ant or termite nest and the insects cling to it. The chimps then picks the insect off the twig with its lips.
Female chimps give their offspring a great deal of care. Gestation lasts for eight and a half months. During the first months of the young chimp's life, its mother carries it everywhere, close to its belly. After about five months, the young chimp starts to ride on its mother's back.
Female chimps babysit for each other's young. Older chimps will look after their younger brothers and sisters.
Like humans, chimpanzees grow up slowly.
Chimpanzees begin their adolescence at about nine years old. They may have offspring of their own by the age of twelve.
Chimpanzees communicate with each other using a complicated system of sounds. A loud call like wraaaa warns of something disturbing or unusual. The calls can be heard 2 miles away. Touch is important to the chimps too. Reaching out to another chimp when they are nervous, kissing when they meet, and holding hands are expressions they use often.
Facial expressions is another means of communicating for the chimps. Baring of the teeth is a form of expressing freight or excitement. Smiling, with the lips covering the teeth shows a friendly mood. Puckering up the lips expresses worry. Lips pressed together may mean the chimp is about to charge or attack.
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