Chimpanzees

 


Chimpanzees are our closest relative in the animal kingdom, sharing around 98% of human DNA. These intelligent great apes live in the tropical rainforests, grasslands and woodlands of western and Central Africa, with a large concentration along the Zaire river. 

Chimpanzees are social animals who care for their offspring for years, and they live in hierarchical social groups of between 16 to 100 individuals. There is always a dominant male in each group, and lower-ranking males will sometimes work together to try to oust the leader from his position!

These clever animals have fascinated scientists for years. Studies have discovered that chimpanzees can create and use tools, intentionally treat illnesses with medicine and have other abilities which we once thought were unique to humans. Chimpanzees even like to entertain themselves by solving puzzles! Communication is another big part of chimpanzee life, and they use facial expressions, hand-clapping, body language and kissing to communicate with each other.

Chimpanzees are omnivores. They eat mostly plant-based foods, but they also enjoy eating insects, eggs, honey and meat. Fruit makes up 50% of their daily diet.

Although chimpanzees tend to walk on all fours (knuckle-walking), they are also capable of walking upright. Males can be as tall as 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in) when standing.

Due to deforestation and illegal trading, chimpanzees are now an endangered species. There were around 2 million chimpanzees living in the wild at the beginning of the 20th century, and that number has dropped to between 170,000 and 300,000.

A chimpanee chewing a straw

Some Fun Facts

  • Chimpanzees can recognise themselves in a mirror (unlike most animals).
  • One chimp, Washoe, learned approximately 350 words of sign language. She also used her communication skills to form friendships with humans.
  • When chimpanzees are scared, they show a grin of fear, similar to a nervous smile that a human might have in a tense situation.
  • The human race is the biggest threat to chimpanzees, but they are also hunted by leopards and other big cats. 
  • Chimpanzees sleep in nests of leaves, and usually make a fresh, clean bed each day!
  • Much of what we know now about chimpanzees was discovered by Jane Goodall, who dedicated her life to working with chimps and their conservation. You can learn about her here in our Famous People section!

Our Chimpanzee Resources

Chimp Acrostic Poem Printable

Chimp Acrostic Poem Printable

This cute chimp acrostic poem printable is great for challenging the children on their poetry skills, and it makes a fun writing frame too..

Chimpanzee Booklet

Chimpanzee Booklet

Just what you need when you are studying the chimpanzee - some cute foldable booklets to fill with information! Choose from lined or blank and click the links below for our high quality printable versions. You will need instructions for our origami booklets, which you can find here:

Chimpanzee Cloze

Chimpanzee Cloze

Learn some fun facts and interesting information about chimpanzees with this cloze worksheet, by reading the text and filling in the missing words from the word bank. 

Chimpanzee Colouring Page

Chimpanzee Colouring Page

Chimpanzees are everyone's favourite monkey, and this cute chimpanzee colouring page will go down well with the kids. It features the word underneath the picture, too.

Chimpanzee Counting Jigsaw

Chimpanzee Counting Jigsaw

Print our fun chimpanzee counting jigsaw out onto card and then slice along the lines vertically. Can the kids put it back together again? It's a fun way to practice counting from 1 to 10. We have a black and white version, too, that the kids can colour in.

Chimpanzee Dot To Dot

Chimpanzee Dot To Dot

Children need to follow the numbers 1 to 15 to complete the outline of this cheeky chimpanzee! They can colour in the completed picture too if they like...

Chimpanzee Grid Copy

Chimpanzee Grid Copy

This is a fun way to learn to draw a chimpanzee, also useful for practising counting, copying skills and pencil control. Copy the chimpanzee from the grid on the left to the grid on the right, square by square.

Chimpanzee Handwriting Worksheet

Chimpanzee Handwriting Worksheet

Practise writing the word chimpanzee! This lovely worksheet will encourage children to learn to form the letters correctly, and then have a go on their own on the last line.

Chimpanzee Lacing Card

Chimpanzee Lacing Card

I love this chimpanzee lacing card and I think the kids will too! It makes a fun lacing or sewing activity for the kids. Laminate for extra strength and if you wish to reuse.

Chimpanzee Notebooking Page

Chimpanzee Notebooking Page

Use our printable notebooking pages to write about the chimpanzee, our closest relative in the animal kingdom. Choose from two designs, and just click on the links below to download printable versions.

Chimpanzee Poster

Chimpanzee Poster

Here's a fantastic poster featuring a very cheeky chimpanzee! Easy to print and perfect for animal displays...

Chimpanzee Poster

Chimpanzee Poster

Here's a photographic poster of a lovely, cheeky chimp to print and put on display. He looks like he is a ready for a conversation, doesn't he? Borderless settings give the best result.

Chimpanzee Printable Jigsaw

Chimpanzee Printable Jigsaw

Print this cheeky chimpanzee jigsaw and then cut out with our age-appropriate cutting guides for some jigsaw fun! Instructions and cutting guides for this jigsaw are here.

Chimpanzee Scene Card

Chimpanzee Scene Card

The cheeky chimps on our chimpanzee scene card are bound to brighten anybody's day! Print using borderless printer settings for the best results...

Chimpanzee Scene Colouring Card

Chimpanzee Scene Colouring Card

We love the cheeky chimpanzees on this fun colouring card, and we're sure the person you send it to will love your finished card too!

Chimpanzee Scene Poster

Chimpanzee Scene Poster

Brighten up any display with this colourful poster featuring three cheeky chimpanzees! Print using the borderless settings on your printer for the best results.

Chimpanzee Scene Story Paper

Chimpanzee Scene Story Paper

This funny chimpanzee scene writing paper is sure to inspire the kids! Use it for story writing, describing a visit to the zoo, or for writing letters. Three versions available to suit all ages.

Chimpanzee Spelling Jigsaw

Chimpanzee Spelling Jigsaw

Print this appealing chimpanzee spelling jigsaw onto some card, and cut along the vertical dotted lines. Now when your child puts the picture back together again, they will be teaching themselves how to spell the word chimpanzee.

Chimpanzee Story Paper

Chimpanzee Story Paper

Use this cute chimpanzee story paper to write down everything you've learned about chimps, or maybe to write about a zoo visit to see these incredible animals?

Chimpanzee Word Tracing

Chimpanzee Word Tracing

Your cheeky chimps can have a go at writing the word chimpanzee on this cute worksheet! Just trace the letters, starting on the dot. 

Chimpanzee Worksheet

Chimpanzee Worksheet

Find out a few interesting facts about chimpanzees while you fill in this fun worksheet. Available in both colour and black and white.

Chimpanzee Writing Page

Chimpanzee Writing Page

Perhaps you could use our chimpanzee writing page to write a diary entry of a visit to the zoo or safari park? Available in colour, or in black and white below.

Chimpanzee Writing Paper

Chimpanzee Writing Paper

There's a cute chimp decorating our chimpanzee writing paper, which is available in three versions to suit all ages.

Chimpanzee Writing Paper 2

Chimpanzee Writing Paper 2

The cheeky chimps on this writing paper should encourage the kids to put pen to paper - whether for a letter, writing about a trip to the zoo or for their own story. Three versions available below.

Chimpanzee Writing Paper 3

Chimpanzee Writing Paper 3

The cute chimp illustrations are sure to inspire the kids to use this fun writing paper! We have three versions to suit all ages. Click the links below for our high-quality printable versions...

Learn To Draw A Chimpanzee

Learn To Draw A Chimpanzee

Learn to draw this cute chimpanzee just by following the steps and copying carefully. It's a fun way for children to practice their chimp drawing skills!

More Monkey Fun

Monkey Colouring Pages
Monkey Colouring Pages

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More to Explore

Much of what we know about chimpanzees is because of the research of this remarkable woman!

Jane Goodall
Jane Goodall

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