Chimpanzee

HUMANS' CLOSEST RELATIVE

Chimpanzees live a social life in groups of typically 35-60 individuals. During the day, the group splits into smaller groups, which together search for food, groom each other's fur and keep an eye on the territory. Males are typically more closely tied to their group, while females often migrate to other chimpanzee groups.

The relationship between the males is clearly hierarchical. The group is led by an alpha male – but it is not only brute strength that determines who gets the role. An alpha male must be a skilled leader, good at finding food, well-liked by the females and good towards the young. The chimpanzee bingo board simply has to be full. The status as alpha male is never certain, and the members of the group continuously assess who is best suited to lead the group.

When it comes to mating, it is basically the alpha male that mates with the females. Other males may try to mate in secret, but this can have serious consequences if the alpha male discovers it.

When a chimpanzee cub is born, it is usually an only child. Chimpanzees typically give birth to only one cub at a time. From the first day, the cub has a lot to learn and spends the first months close to its mother – either on its belly or back. If the female has older cubs, they often play a helping role. They act as role models and actively participate in the newborn's upbringing. Female cubs in particular learn important skills here that they may need later in life when they have to raise their own cubs. The cubs also have a place in the chimpanzee hierarchy, but their position is typically linked to the mother's status in the pack. However, the very young cubs are outside the hierarchy.

And you can't be a young chimpanzee without liking fun and frolic. The cubs spend a lot of time playing with each other, and through curiosity and teasing they learn how to get around in the pack and the rainforest. Play is also learning. If the group uses tools – for example, to fish for termites or suck plant sap – these skills are passed on to the young. Therefore, there is not just one way to be a chimpanzee, because the use of tools varies from group to group.