Chimpanzee: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Monkeys and Lemurs · day 1 of 7

Five facts

1. In 1960 at Gombe, Tanzania, where Jane Goodall had just begun her study, a chimp turned a twig into a tool to fish out termites.
2. In Senegal, chimps sharpen sticks with their teeth and use them as spears to get bushbabies out of holes in trees.
3. Chimp laughter sounds more like breathing and panting. Like us, they are ticklish in places such as the armpits and belly.
4. Chimp muscles are 50% stronger per weight than ours, thanks to more fast twitch muscle fibres.
5. Chimps "drum" by pounding the trunks of big trees with their hands and feet.

The quiz

1. What did a Gombe chimp turn into a termite-fishing tool in 1960?

• A rock
• A twig (correct)
• A woven basket
• A hollow reed

It reshaped a twig: the first report of an animal other than humans making a tool.

2. What do Senegal chimps hunt with their sharpened sticks?

• Bushbabies (correct)
• Fish
• Snakes
• Birds

They spear bushbabies out of small holes in trees.

3. What does chimp laughter sound like?

• A loud barking
• A high whistle
• A deep growl
• Breathing and panting (correct)

Chimp laughter sounds more like breathing and panting.

4. How much stronger are chimp muscles per weight than human muscles?

• 5% stronger
• 10% stronger
• 50% stronger (correct)
• 500% stronger

Pound for pound, a chimp's muscles are half as strong again as a human's.

5. What do chimps hit with their hands and feet when drumming?

• Hollow logs on the ground
• Trunks of large trees (correct)
• Rocks in rivers
• The ground only

To drum, they pound big tree trunks with their hands and feet.

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