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Non- Human Primates

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Non-human primates refer to mammals categorized into prosimians (lemurs) and simians

(Apes and monkeys). This research aims to explore ape species, specifically chimpanzees. Their

scientific is Pan troglodytes, while their common name is chimpanzees. Scientific naming helps

classify the genres and the species; for example, the genre is "Pan" while the species name is

"troglodytes." The common names are crucial for identification and communication among the

common people and researchers. Chimpanzees are habitants of forests and savannahs of central

and western Africa, especially in countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola,

Equatorial Guinea any many others.

Dr. Goodall (2019) discovered chimpanzees in the late 19th century in her research on

their social structures and behavior while in Tanzania. Chimpanzees are becoming endangered

species due to their population decline. This decline is attributed to human activities such as

deforestation, mining, climate change, poaching, exportation for commercial use in research

laboratories, and diseases. They have been conserved through the establishment of National

Parks, formulation of antipoaching laws, and preservation of forests. This research preferred

chimpanzees over other primates due to their human-like attributes.

Male chimpanzees grow larger in body size, height, and weight than their female

counterparts. Male chimpanzees have an approximate height of 1.7 meters (5.6 feet), a weight of

between 40 to 65 kilograms (88 to 140 pounds), and have muscular bodies. On the other hand,

female chimpanzees have an approximate height of 1.4 meters (4.6 feet), weight of between 32

to 50 kilograms (70 to 110 pounds), and slender bodies. Male chimpanzees have larger canine

teeth in contrast to female chimpanzees. Wild chimpanzees have a life span of about 45 years

and 58 years in captivity. Reddy and Mitani, (2019) established that chimpanzees live in social

groups called communities that cover a range of square kilometers. A community comprises
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more females than males, portraying dominance over females and adolescent males (Harrod, J.

B. (2021).

Chimpanzees cohabit within their social groups; they do not practice monogamy because

males and females have multiple sexual partners. Female chimpanzees experience sexual

swelling in their genital area instead of experiencing menstrual bleeding during the estrus period;

this displays fertility and attracts males for mating. During this period, they display behavioral

sexual changes by enhancing their grooming and frequently vocalizing to solicit sex from males.

Chimpanzees undergo a gestation period of around 260 days, after which they give birth to a

single offspring; twines are rare. The newborn chimpanzees entirely depend on their mother for

protection, feeding, carrying on their backs, and warmth until they are weaned. (Kawaguchi, Y.,

Kano, F., & Tomonaga, M. 2019). Although parental responsibilities are shared between males

and females, the females are overprotective.

Like humans, chimpanzees are generally omnivorous- they feed on plants and meat. The

large component of their diet includes fruits, leaves, seeds and nuts, bark, stems, flowers, and

nectars. However, they also feed on small mammals and insects. Their diet composition changes

depending on the seasons. For example, some fruits have specific ripening seasons. Chimpanzees

search for food individually or collectively in groups using different tools. They modify these

tools from objects to fit their needs. Their foraging tactics vary per season. Stones are used to

crack nuts, use folded leaves to hold water, and twigs to extract termites from their mounds.

Since chimpanzees are preyed on by lions and cheaters, territory control is imperative.

They form " troops " groups to defend their territory from attacks or intrusion. The males carry

out territory patrols to deter intruders from their territory. Girard, B.C et al. (2022) noted that

chimps use aggressive displays such as vocalizations, hurling stones, and physical fights. The
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most dominant chimpanzee in a social group is known as Alpha and enjoys support from the

other chimps. He ensures peaceful social interactions within the social group by stopping fights.

Tree branches are used as weapons during a fight when conflicts arise. Chimpanzees are

generally quadrupedal, although they sometimes walk upright on two legs, especially when

carrying objects. They can jump over short distances, climb trees and transverse branches with a

lot of ease. Genetically, chimpanzees share a DNA sequence similarity of around 98% with

homo sapiens. Researchers have established that homo sapiens and chimps originate from the

same family (Hominidae)

The concepts learned in the study of primates help to establish the similarities between

homo sapiens and non-human primates as their closest relatives. They make it easy to understand

the social, behavioral patterns, cognitive skills, and evolutionary history of primates. Currently,

several research projects based on chimpanzees are in progress. These projects aim to establish

cognitive abilities, genetic makeup, and conservation and habitat protection. Primates are

imperative in medicine; experiments on non-human primates have led to crucial advances.

Primates play a key role in research geared towards establishing how the human brain works and

how to prevent infectious diseases in humans. Primates should be conserved for studying

medicine, psychology, and anthropology.

References

Aliaga-Samanez, A., Cobos-Mayo, M., Real, R., Segura, M., Romero, D., Fa, J. E., & Olivero, J.

(2021). Worldwide dynamic biogeography of zoonotic and anthroponotic dengue. PLoS

Neglected Tropical Diseases, 15(6), e0009496.

Kawaguchi, Y., Kano, F., & Tomonaga, M. (2019). Chimpanzees, but not bonobos, attend more

to infants than adult conspecifics. Animal behavior, 154, 171-181.

Thompson, M. E., Machanda, Z. P., Fox, S. A., Sabbi, K. H., Otali, E., Thompson González,

N., ... & Wrangham, R. W. (2020). Evaluating the impact of physical frailty during aging

in wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii). Philosophical Transactions of the

Royal Society B, 375(1811), 20190607.

Reddy, R. B., & Mitani, J. C. (2019). Social relationships and caregiving behavior between

recently orphaned chimpanzee siblings. Primates, 60(5), 389-400.

Harrod, J. B. (2021). The chimpanzee stone accumulation ritual and the evolution of moral

behavior. In Empirically Engaged Evolutionary Ethics (pp. 63-86). Cham: Springer

International Publishing.

Girard-Buttoz, C., Zaccarella, E., Bortolato, T., Friederici, A. D., Wittig, R. M., & Crockford, C.

(2022). Chimpanzees produce diverse vocal sequences with ordered and combinatorial

properties. Communications Biology, 5(1), 410.