About Gombe: Chimpanzees
Ecosystem | Gombe Stream Research Center | Chimpanzees
Humanity’s closest-living relatives, chimpanzees are complex social animals. Found throughout equatorial Africa, they are endangered due to habitat loss, hunting and disease.
An omnivorous species, chimpanzees feed on fruits, stems, insects, small animals and other food items found in their habitats. They will also hunt larger prey, such as pigs, baboons and other primates.
One groundbreaking element of Dr. Jane Goodall’s research in Gombe was the first observation of a non-human species making and using tools. Goodall observed chimpanzees using thin sticks that are used to “fish” termites from their mounds, a behavior that changed attitudes about animals and their capabilities.
Wild chimpanzees, including those in Gombe, live in “fusion-fission” societies: large groups of animals commonly splinter into smaller pairings and then re-gather. Males establish a dominance hierarchy that influences breeding, but mating is fluid. Females have a fertility cycle lasting roughly 36 days, and both males and females will breed with a variety of partners. Offspring are dependent on their mothers for a period of up to six years. Even after becoming mature at 10–13 years of age, many chimpanzees maintain close relationships with their mothers, making the mother-offspring relationship a rich subject for study.
Ecosystem | Gombe Stream Research Center | Chimpanzees
Humanity’s closest-living relatives, chimpanzees are complex social animals. Found throughout equatorial Africa, they are endangered due to habitat loss, hunting and disease.
An omnivorous species, chimpanzees feed on fruits, stems, insects, small animals and other food items found in their habitats. They will also hunt larger prey, such as pigs, baboons and other primates.
One groundbreaking element of Dr. Jane Goodall’s research in Gombe was the first observation of a non-human species making and using tools. Goodall observed chimpanzees using thin sticks that are used to “fish” termites from their mounds, a behavior that changed attitudes about animals and their capabilities.
Wild chimpanzees, including those in Gombe, live in “fusion-fission” societies: large groups of animals commonly splinter into smaller pairings and then re-gather. Males establish a dominance hierarchy that influences breeding, but mating is fluid. Females have a fertility cycle lasting roughly 36 days, and both males and females will breed with a variety of partners. Offspring are dependent on their mothers for a period of up to six years. Even after becoming mature at 10–13 years of age, many chimpanzees maintain close relationships with their mothers, making the mother-offspring relationship a rich subject for study.
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All Content © Lincoln Park Zoo.
2001 North Clark Street · Chicago, IL 60614 · 312-742-2000
Lincoln Park Zoo is open 365 days a year and is FREE every day!
