Primates: Lemurs and Chimpanzees

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Similar to lemurs, chimpanzees are native to one continent, Africa. They inhabit 21 African countries ranging from Senegal to Tanzania. Chimpanzees are found in the middle part of Africa, west coast, and the Congo, all of which are close to or located on the equator. Tropical rainforests and savannahs are their primary environments, but it has been noted that they inhabit woodlands are various types of forests. Their bodies are covered with a black or brown hair, but have patches of bare skin on their face, ears, hands, and feet. The average common chimp weighs up to 115 lbs. Similar to humans, they have flat faces with eyes side by side allowing stereoscopic vision.

Chimps and humans share numerous characteristics that reflect each other. With both being greater apes, the two groups share unique attributes such as 32 teeth that vary in type, prehensile feet, having fingernails instead of claws, and they have two mammary glands. Similar to humans, chimps are very interactive and sociable. These sociable traits allow them to live in large groups ranging from 10 to 100. The groups operate in a complex manner, implementing an elaborate social constructs similar to humans.

Like humans, chimpanzees have the ability to walk upright, but for only short periods of time when transporting food. Otherwise, knuckle walking is their primary method of movement due to their long arms, but they also utilize their strength to brachiate. This quality allows the chimpanzees to stay and rest in the trees, making them semi arboreal. Living in trees protects them from predators such as large snakes, leopards, and crocodiles.

Chimpanzees face challenges parallel to lemurs such as loss of habitat and hunting. As mentioned before, the lands inhabiting the primates are being destroyed for logging and agricultural purposes. The locals of Africa are facing an alarming growth rate and to support the high number of birth, forests are cut down and converted to croplands and wood is sold as lumber. Their populations is also dwindling due to hunting. The local people kill the chimps for their flesh as it is cheaper than other meats such as chicken. Considering that many of the locals are impoverished, chimpanzee flesh is much more appealing because of the lower cost.

The chimpanzees are used for a variety of studies. Due to their extremely similar DNA composition to humans, they are captured and used for psychological and medical experiments. Dating back to the 1920’s, chimpanzees were illegally captured and eventually purchased by scientists to conduct experiments that stripped the chimps of basic needs, leading many to develop mental and emotional damage including anxiety and terror. They were also exposed to various diseases such as HIV, AIDS, and different forms of hepatitis. These types of studies were carried out into the 21st century until they were classified as endangered, resulting in the end of the devastating experiments.

Works Cited

Iverson, Erik. "Coquerel’s Sifaka." Mongabay. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2016. <Coquerel’s Sifaka>.

Shen, Fangfei. "Endangered Lemur Hunting Prevalent in Madagascar despite Local Taboos, Laws." Web log post. MIT SciWrite. PLOS, 14 Nov. 2011. Web. 23PLOS May 2016. <http://blogs.plos.org/mitsciwrite/2011/12/14/endangered-lemur-hunting-prevalent-in-madagascar-despite-local-taboos-laws/>.

Tennesen, Michael. "The Fossa and the Lemur - National Wildlife Federation." The Fossa and the Lemur - National Wildlife Federation. National Wildlife Federation, 4 Jan. 2006. Web. 23 May 2016. <http://www.nwf.org/news-and-magazines/national-wildlife/animals/archives/2006/the-fossa-and-the-lemur.aspx>.