---
title: "What the sources say about the Chimpanzee | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "52 claims from the Chimpanzee profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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---

# What the sources say about the Chimpanzee (*Pan troglodytes*)

> 52 claims from the Chimpanzee profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Chimpanzee](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/chimpanzee/)

## Chimpanzee. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/chimpanzee

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| from West Africa | Chimpanzees inhabit tropical rainforest, and lowland and mountain forests in western and Central Africa. (note: stats.habitat) |
| Fruit, leaves, seeds and insects, hunted meat such as monkeys and small antelope | Scientists have recorded about 80 different items chimps eat, including seeds, fruit, leaves, bark, honey, flowers, and insects ... chimpanzees also hunt other wildlife, like monkeys or small antelope, for meat. (note: stats.diet) |
| A chimpanzee (*Pan troglodytes*) in one forest strips a twig and dips it into a termite mound to fish out the insects inside. | They often strip a branch of its leaves and then dip it in an ant or termite hill to get the insects inside. (note: illustrative single animal; 'in one forest' because termite fishing is not universal) |
| Adult chimpanzees measure about 3 feet (0.9 meters) from head to rump. | Head to rump: About 3 feet (0.9 meters) |
| Females weigh 70 to 100 pounds (32 to 45 kilograms) and males 90 to 120 pounds (40 to 55 kilograms). | Weight: Females 70 to 100 pounds (32 to 45 kilograms); males 90 to 120 pounds (40 to 55 kilograms) |
| San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance puts the average lifespan at 32 years for males and 40 years for females. | LIFE SPAN On average, 32 years for males and 40 years for females |
| Home is a community that can sometimes number as many as 100 chimpanzees, made up of family groups of usually about 6 to 10. | Within these family groups there are usually about 6 to 10 individuals. An entire chimp community can sometimes have as many as 100 members, made up of many different family groups. |
| Chimpanzees eat a wide variety of food, including fruit, leaves, bark, seeds, flowers and insects, and they also hunt other animals such as monkeys and small antelope for meat. | Chimpanzees eat a wide variety of food. Scientists have recorded about 80 different items chimps eat, including seeds, fruit, leaves, bark, honey, flowers, and insects ... chimpanzees also hunt other wildlife, like monkeys or small antelope, for meat. |
| When water is scarce, they chew leaves to make them soft and sponge-like, then use them to soak up rainwater inside tree holes. | When water is scarce, chimps chew leaves so they are soft and sponge-like—this allows them to then soak up rainwater inside of tree holes. |
| Some observers have noted chimpanzees eating medicinal plants when they are ill or injured. | Some observers have noted chimpanzees eating medicinal plants when they are ill or injured. |
| Keeping chimpanzees as illegal pets has caused a decline in their populations, and people also hunt them for bushmeat or to protect their crops. | some people keep chimpanzees as pets. This illegal activity has caused a decline in their populations. People also hunt chimps for food (called bushmeat) or to protect their crops from being eaten. |
| These conditions, plus loss of habitat, have led to the chimpanzee's Endangered status | These conditions, plus loss of habitat, have led to their endangered status. |
| Chimpanzees often strip the leaves off a branch and dip it into a termite mound to fish out insects, chew leaves into a sponge to soak up rainwater from tree holes when water is scarce | They often strip a branch of its leaves and then dip it in an ant or termite hill to get the insects inside. When water is scarce, chimps chew leaves so they are soft and sponge-like—this allows them to then soak up rainwater inside of tree holes. (note: faq 1; the nut-hammer clause is claimed separately against adw-chimpanzee) |
| while others often fish for termites with stripped twigs | They often strip a branch of its leaves and then dip it in an ant or termite hill to get the insects inside. (note: vibe.reason (#692/#693)) |

## Pan troglodytes (chimpanzee). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Pan_troglodytes/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| tool kits that vary from community to community | The tools used, and the uses to which they are put, vary between communities (note: tagline) |
| Machiavellian troop politics | Coalitions between males may affect dominance interactions, and chimpanzees are effective at social manipulations. (note: tagline) |
| Tropical rainforests, forest-savanna mosaics and montane forests up to 2,750 m | Although they are typically thought of as living in tropical rainforests, they are also found in forest-savanna mosaic environments, as well as in montain forests at elevations up to 2,750 m ... Range elevation 0 to 2,750 m (note: stats.habitat; ADW's own typo 'montain' for 'montane') |
| east to western Uganda and Tanzania | In the far eastern portion of the range, from the northwestern corner of Zaire into western Uganda and Tanzania, P. troglodytes schweinfurthi is found. (note: stats.habitat; ADW's range, which the current SDZ page's 'western and Central Africa' leaves out) |
| in some populations nuts cracked open with stone or stick hammers | Rocks or sticks are used in some populations as hammers to open hard-shelled nuts. (note: stats.diet) |
| Regional tool kits (termite-fishing twigs, nut-cracking hammers, leaf sponges) that differ from community to community | Chimpanzees often use twigs, sticks, or stems that they have modified as tools with which to fish for insects. Ants and termites are commonly acquired this way. Leaves are used as napkins, and may be crushed in the mouth and used as a sponge to dip for water. Rocks or sticks are used in some populations as hammers to open hard-shelled nuts ... The tools used, and the uses to which they are put, vary between communities (note: stats.superpower) |
| a male dominance hierarchy whose alpha may take meat from subordinates and monopolize mating | Relationships between males are highly dependent upon the dominance hierarchy. The hierarchy is mostly linear, with one top-ranking, or alpha, male ... Alpha males may take meat from subordinates, displace subordinates at food sites, and may be able to monopolize sexual access to females (note: stats.superpower) |
| In some other populations, chimpanzees crack hard-shelled nuts open with rocks or sticks used as hammers. | Rocks or sticks are used in some populations as hammers to open hard-shelled nuts. |
| Communities That Patrol Their Borders | male chimpanzees are almost entirely silent when they are performing a border patrol (note: heading) |
| The community splits into small parties that come together from time to time, a pattern behaviorists call a fusion-fission society. | chimpanzees live in what behaviorists call a fusion-fission society. The entire community splits into small parties, which frequently travel alone. These subgroups come together from time to time. |
| Males form coalitions, which in both wild and captive groups may let males dominate a third individual they could not dominate by themselves. | Both in wild populations and captive groups, relationships and coalitions between males may allow males who could not dominate a third individual by themselves to do so. |
| Males patrol the community's borders, or raid into a neighboring group's range, almost entirely in silence, as if they understand that the mission's success depends on staying covert. | male chimpanzees are almost entirely silent when they are performing a border patrol, or when raiding into the home range of a neighboring group. It is as if they understand that the success of their mission depends upon remaining covert |
| Between communities, aggression seems to be the rule: at Gombe and Mahale, larger communities exterminated smaller neighboring ones through brutal attacks between males of the rival groups. | Between communities, aggression seems to be the rule. At both Gombe and Mahale, larger communities of chimpanzees exterminated smaller neighboring communities. This was accomplished through brutal attacks between males from the different communities. |
| A dominant chimpanzee that has attacked a subordinate often reassures it afterwards. | Reassurance behaviors are often directed from a dominant animal to a subordinate after the former has attacked the latter. |
| Yes, and the toolkit changes from community to community. | The tools used, and the uses to which they are put, vary between communities (note: faq 1) |
| in some populations use rocks or sticks as hammers to crack open hard-shelled nuts | Rocks or sticks are used in some populations as hammers to open hard-shelled nuts. (note: faq 1) |
| Something close to it. | The behavior shown by chimps in this context resembles that seen in humans between neighboring enemy tribes. (note: faq 3) |
| Male chimpanzees patrol their community's borders in near silence | male chimpanzees are almost entirely silent when they are performing a border patrol (note: faq 3; 'near silence' paraphrases 'almost entirely silent') |
| they aggressively search out members of neighboring communities, often entering the neighboring range to do so | they aggressively search out neighboring community members, often entering the range of the neighboring community in order to do so. (note: faq 3) |
| The duration and nature of their attacks on neighboring males clearly indicated an intent to do harm, and some males are known to have died from their wounds. | The duration and nature of attacks on neighboring males clearly indicated that the intent was to do harm. Some males are known to have died from wounds received in this context. (note: faq 3) |
| At Gombe and Mahale, larger communities exterminated smaller neighboring ones through brutal attacks between males from the different communities. | At both Gombe and Mahale, larger communities of chimpanzees exterminated smaller neighboring communities. This was accomplished through brutal attacks between males from the different communities. (note: faq 3) |
| in some populations chimpanzees crack hard-shelled nuts open with rocks or sticks used as hammers | Rocks or sticks are used in some populations as hammers to open hard-shelled nuts. (note: vibe.reason (#692/#693)) |

## The Chimpanzee Sequencing and Analysis Consortium (2005). Initial sequence of the chimpanzee genome and comparison with the human genome. Nature.

https://doi.org/10.1038/nature04072

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| DNA letters about 1.23% different from a human's, tool kits that vary from community to community, and Machiavellian troop politics. | Single-nucleotide substitutions occur at a mean rate of 1.23% between copies of the human and chimpanzee genome, with 1.06% or less corresponding to fixed divergence between the species. (note: tagline; 'DNA letters' is the single-nucleotide rate, not the whole-genome difference (indels add ~1.5% lineage-specific sequence)) |
| About One DNA Letter in a Hundred | Single-nucleotide substitutions occur at a mean rate of 1.23% between copies of the human and chimpanzee genome, with 1.06% or less corresponding to fixed divergence between the species. (note: heading; 1.23% mean, 1.06% or less fixed) |
| Line up a human genome and a chimpanzee genome, and on average 1.23% of the single DNA letters differ | Single-nucleotide substitutions occur at a mean rate of 1.23% between copies of the human and chimpanzee genome, with 1.06% or less corresponding to fixed divergence between the species. (note: 'on average' for 'mean rate'; 'at most' for 'or less'; 'differences that separate the two species' for 'divergence between the species') |
| At most 1.06% are fixed differences that separate the two species | Single-nucleotide substitutions occur at a mean rate of 1.23% between copies of the human and chimpanzee genome, with 1.06% or less corresponding to fixed divergence between the species. (note: 'on average' for 'mean rate'; 'at most' for 'or less'; 'differences that separate the two species' for 'divergence between the species') |
| Orthologous proteins, the matching versions of each protein in the two species, are extremely similar: about 29% are identical, and the typical orthologue differs by only two amino acids, one per lineage. | Orthologous proteins in human and chimpanzee are extremely similar, with ∼29% being identical and the typical orthologue differing by only two amino acids, one per lineage. (note: 'the matching versions of each protein in the two species' is an inserted explainer) |
| A Second Kind of Difference Insertions and deletions of DNA are fewer in number than single-letter substitutions, but they leave about 1.5% of the euchromatic sequence in each species lineage-specific, found in that lineage alone. | Insertion and deletion (indel) events are fewer in number than single-nucleotide substitutions, but result in ∼1.5% of the euchromatic sequence in each species being lineage-specific. (note: blockquote; 'found in that lineage alone' glosses 'lineage-specific') |
| Line up the two genomes and on average 1.23% of the single DNA letters differ, and at most 1.06% are fixed differences that separate the two species | Single-nucleotide substitutions occur at a mean rate of 1.23% between copies of the human and chimpanzee genome, with 1.06% or less corresponding to fixed divergence between the species. (note: faq 2, same wording as the body) |
| Insertion and deletion events are fewer in number, but they leave about 1.5% of the euchromatic sequence in each species lineage-specific. | Insertion and deletion (indel) events are fewer in number than single-nucleotide substitutions, but result in ∼1.5% of the euchromatic sequence in each species being lineage-specific. (note: faq 2) |
| Orthologous proteins, the matching versions of each protein in the two species, are extremely similar: about 29% are identical, and the typical orthologue differs by only two amino acids, one per lineage. | Orthologous proteins in human and chimpanzee are extremely similar, with ∼29% being identical and the typical orthologue differing by only two amino acids, one per lineage. (note: faq 2, same sentence as the body's) |

## Whiten et al. (1999). Cultures in chimpanzees. Nature.

https://doi.org/10.1038/21415

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| An Ape With Local Customs | 39 different behaviour patterns, including tool usage, grooming and courtship behaviours, are customary or habitual in some communities but are absent in others (note: heading) |
| In 1999, researchers pooled the seven longest-running chimpanzee field studies | Here we present a systematic synthesis of this information from the seven most long-term studies ... We find that 39 different behaviour patterns, including tool usage, grooming and courtship behaviours, are customary or habitual in some communities but are absent in others where ecological explanations have been discounted ... This comprehensive analysis reveals patterns of variation that are far more extensive than have previously been documented for any animal species except humans. (note: 1999 is the paper's year; 'longest-running' for 'most long-term', 'ruled out' for 'discounted') |
| They found 39 behaviour patterns, including tool use, grooming and courtship, that are customary or habitual in some communities but absent in others, in cases where they had ruled out the local environment as the explanation | Here we present a systematic synthesis of this information from the seven most long-term studies ... We find that 39 different behaviour patterns, including tool usage, grooming and courtship behaviours, are customary or habitual in some communities but are absent in others where ecological explanations have been discounted ... This comprehensive analysis reveals patterns of variation that are far more extensive than have previously been documented for any animal species except humans. (note: 1999 is the paper's year; 'longest-running' for 'most long-term', 'ruled out' for 'discounted') |
| That was far more variation than had been documented for any animal species except humans | Here we present a systematic synthesis of this information from the seven most long-term studies ... We find that 39 different behaviour patterns, including tool usage, grooming and courtship behaviours, are customary or habitual in some communities but are absent in others where ecological explanations have been discounted ... This comprehensive analysis reveals patterns of variation that are far more extensive than have previously been documented for any animal species except humans. (note: 1999 is the paper's year; 'longest-running' for 'most long-term', 'ruled out' for 'discounted') |
| A 1999 synthesis of the seven most long-term chimpanzee field studies found 39 separate behaviour patterns, including tool usage, grooming and courtship behaviours, that are customary or habitual in some communities but are absent in others where ecological explanations have been discounted, a pattern the researchers said was far more extensive than had previously been documented for any animal species except humans. | Here we present a systematic synthesis of this information from the seven most long-term studies ... We find that 39 different behaviour patterns, including tool usage, grooming and courtship behaviours, are customary or habitual in some communities but are absent in others where ecological explanations have been discounted ... This comprehensive analysis reveals patterns of variation that are far more extensive than have previously been documented for any animal species except humans. (note: faq 1, same sentence as the body's) |

## Humle et al. (2016). Pan troglodytes. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T15933A129038584.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2016-2.rlts.t15933a17964454.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Endangered | IUCN Red List category: Endangered (EN). (note: stats.conservationStatus) |
| Endangered status on the IUCN Red List | IUCN Red List category: Endangered (EN). |