Field guide · rare
Chimpanzee
Our closest living relative — an intelligent great ape that makes tools, grooms in family groups, and sees the forest with knowing eyes.
Endangered
Overview
The chimpanzee shares about 98.7% of its DNA with humans and displays behaviour that once seemed uniquely ours: tool use, cooperative hunting, culture passed between generations, and complex social politics. Communities of up to 150 individuals split into smaller foraging parties through the forest.
Chimpanzees fashion twigs to fish termites from mounds, use stones as hammers to crack nuts, and communicate through gestures, calls, and facial expressions remarkably like our own. Tracking them through Kibale or Budongo forest is one of Africa's great primate experiences.
Habitat
Tropical rainforest and woodland savanna across equatorial Africa. Uganda's Kibale National Park holds one of the world's largest chimpanzee populations, with habituated groups allowing close observation on guided treks.
Countries found
Interesting facts
- 01
Chimpanzees use tools — twigs for termites and stones to crack nuts.
- 02
They share about 98.7% of their DNA with humans.
- 03
Chimp communities have distinct cultures — different groups use different tools.
Conservation status
Chimpanzees are Endangered, with populations falling from habitat loss, bushmeat hunting, and disease. Uganda's protected forests are among the most important strongholds for East African chimpanzees.
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Where it lives
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