Why Chimpanzees Do Not Talk?

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Why Chimpanzees Do Not Talk

I . Introduction

Many people nowadays have their own pet . They treat these animals just like humans . They even teach them the ways of the humans , too . But do these animals really grasp what their masters teach them ? These animals may be taught in some small ways of man but they cannot communicate to humans verbally . They may do it in actions and symbols but talking audibly just as humans do would be very impossible . An example of this is

the Chimpanzee . This kind of specie is somewhat synonymous with humans but not exactly the same . They can be taught with simple learning but the level of their intellect is not capable in grasping the huge one just like the humans do . I strongly believe that no animals can ever talk as humans do . They may have their own language but not as refined as humans have

This scrutinizes how do chimpanzee communicates and know its behaviors , whether it is same with the humans or simply synonymous

II . Discussion

Chimpanzee , anthropoid (man-like ) primate mammal (see Ape ) of equatorial Africa that , physically and genetically , is the animal most closely related to human beings . Two forms of chimpanzee , or chimp exist : the common chimpanzee and the bonobo (or pygmy chimpanzee . The common chimp ranges from Sierra Leone and Guinea on the Atlantic Ocean to Lakes Tanganyika and Victoria the pygmy chimp is found only in the eastern Congo River Basin in the Democratic Republic of the Congo . Gabon and Congo are strongholds for chimpanzees but numbers there are estimated to have halved over the past 20 years , prompting fears that populations are becoming endangered (see Chimpanzee , 2004

A . Characteristic

The male common chimp is 1 to 1 .7 m (3 to 5 .5 ft ) tall when upright and weighs on average 40 to 50 kg (90 to 110 lb the female is somewhat smaller . Despite being known as the pygmy chimpanzee , the bonobo is only slightly smaller than the common chimpanzee . The chimp 's long arms , when extended , have a span half as long again as the body height . The feet are better suited for walking than those of orang-utans the soles are broader and the toes shorter . The coat is dark , and the face , palms , and soles are bare . Chimps can walk bipedally (on two feet ) or on all fours moving on their knuckles . Their hands have opposable thumbs and are adapted for grasping . Their big toes jut out from the side of their feet , acting as thumbs that help them to grasp branches . The ears , lips and brow ridges protrude , and there is no tail . The brain of a chimpanzee is about half the size of the human brain (see Chimpanzee Grolier Encyclopedia of Knowledge , pp . 234-235 , vol . 4

Chimpanzees are diurnal (active by day ) and omnivorous , eating about 200 kinds of leaves and fruit termites , ants , honey , and birds ' eggs and birds and small mammals . They spend their time in or near trees avoiding direct sunlight , and the adults build sleeping nests each night in a tree . The female has a 35-day menstrual cycle , is receptive to the male for 6 .5 days out of each cycle , and can breed at any time of the year . The gestation period is more than seven months long , and a single offspring (or rarely , twins ) is produced . Immediately after birth the helpless young clutches its mother 's hair , riding on the mother 's back when she travels . The young chimp is weaned at about four years , but may continue to travel with the mother until the age of ten . Offspring sometimes maintain a bond with the mother throughout life , which may last up to 50 years in the wild (see Bonobo , 2004

III . Social Behavior

Chimpanzees form loosely organized bands of from 2 up to 80 individuals on fairly large home ranges , where the animals remain for years . Within a band , smaller groups may form , break up , and reform sometimes a female migrates to another band . Males never migrate . Except between mother and young , little permanency exists in individual relationships The female may mate with different partners . Members of a band cooperate in hunting and sharing of food . On finding a food source , they hoot scream , and slap logs to attract others . A constant interplay occurs between adults , and all members of the group groom one another , removing insects , burs , and any dirt from their fur (see Schrier , Allan M Behavioral Primatology : Advances in Research and Theory

IV . COMMUNICATION AND INTELLIGENCE

Chimpanzees communicate through vocalizations , facial expressions posture , touch , and movement . A young chimp is able to make at least 32 different sounds , and the facial musculature can express a wide range of emotions . The animals show great intelligence in problem-solving and in the use of simple tools , such as a stripped twig to draw termites from their nest . Experiments suggest that chimps can even learn to use language in a symbolic sense , but these results are disputed

Scientific classification : Chimpanzees belong to the family Pongidae in the Primates . They make up the genus Pan . The common chimpanzee is classified as Pan troglodytes and the bonobo as Pan paniscus (see Chimpanzee , 2004

Moreover , the two species of chimpanzee are the common chimpanzee and the bonobo (also known as the pygmy chimpanzee , live in equatorial Africa . The common chimpanzee can be found over a wide range , from Sierra Leone and Guinea to Lakes Tanganyika and Victoria however , it has completely disappeared from certain areas and countries , such as Benin , for example . The bonobo is found only in a small region of thick jungle in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in central Africa . It is threatened by the destruction of its habitat , and by hunting for its meat (see Bonobo , 2004

References

Chimpanzee . The Columbia Encyclopedia , Sixth Edition . Columbia University Press , New York . 2004

Bonobo . The Columbia Encyclopedia , Sixth Edition . Columbia University Press , New York 2004

Schrier , Allan M . Behavioral Primatology : Advances in Research and Theory . Volume : 1 . Lawrence Erlbaum Associates , Hillsdale , NJ , 2001

Chimpanzee . Grolier Encyclopedia of Knowledge , pp . 234-235 , vol . 4

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