Humans and chimpanzees are remarkably similar genetically; only a 1. 24% difference exists between our DNA and theirs compared to a difference of 1.63% between chimpanzees and gorillas. And, the similarity does not end there; no other animal species resembles us as closely physically. Chimpanzees have also been observed to use as many as 54 different kinds of tools. They are excellent hunters and hunt cooperatively as a team. They usually hunt for small monkeys such as the red colobus monkeys as well as small duikers and bush pigs. Furthermore chimpanzee groups have been shown to exhibit behavioural diversity through cultural transmission to the extent that just by observing a specific grooming behaviour you can determine with certainty which community the chimpanzee belongs to. Like humans they also care for injured members of their group and mourn the death of their companions. Taxonomy and geographic distribution There are two species of chimpanzee in Africa: the common chimpanzee: Pan troglodytes and the Bonobo: Pan paniscus. Although previously the bonobo was known as the pygmy chimp there is significant overlap in size between the Chimpanzee and the Bonobo, but the latter is more gracile in build, with a smaller, rounder skull, and a flatter face with less-prominent brow ridges. Both species are highly social animals, and can exist in large groups. Bonobo communities contrast with chimpanzees' in that females are dominant and maintain strong bonds with other females. The Chimpanzee has a wide but fragmented distribution in about 21 African countries from Senegal in the west to Tanzania in the east. Most taxonomists recognise that there are four distinct subspecies, although current genetic studies appear likely to refine this picture significantly. Two West African sub-species of chimpanzee, the Western Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) and the Nigerian Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes vellerosus) are the most threatened. The central subspecies, P. t. troglodytes, occurs from north Cameroon to the Ubanghi River and south to the Congo River. However the eastern subspecies, P. t. schweinfurthi is found from the confluence of the Ubanghi and Congo rivers in the democratic republic of Congo east to the southern end of Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania, and from there northwards to Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and southern Sudan. No formal subspecies are currently recognised within the Bonobo, which is found in only one range-state, the DR Congo. Conservation Chimpanzees are disappearing from the wild at an alarming rate. In the early sixties it was estimated that the population of chimpanzees in Africa was 600,000 individuals. Sadly, the total population has declined to just between 150,000 - 250,000. The Great Apes Survival Project (GRASP) was set up by UNEP (united nations environmental program) and UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) with an immediate challenge, to lift the threat of imminent extinction faced by gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and orangutans. Despite the dedicated efforts of many individuals and organisations, the great apes are on the very edge of extinction. Time is not on our side. In response to the current crisis, Dr. Klaus Toepfer, the Executive Director of UNEP, launched GRASP - a new approach to save the great apes. To find out more about the issues facing the great apes check out "The Great Apes The Road Ahead".
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