Chimpanzee

Almost Human: Chimpanzees are our closest relative. (A difference of less than 1 percent exists between the DNA of humans and chimps.) Like humans, chimp young are born helpless and require a number of years of careful rearing before they are able to go out on their own. Chimps are very social and form tight bonds within their community.

Forest Food: Found in tropical forests and the wet savannas of West and Central Africa, chimps comfortably spend their days in the treetops or on the ground. Their diet consists of fruit, leaves, nuts and seeds, supplemented by ants and termites. Hunting red colobus monkeys for food by chimps has been documented and isolated cases of chimpanzee cannibalism have also been observed.

Toolmakers Too: Jane Goodall was the first to observe chimpanzees stripping branches from twigs to create a tool for scooping up termites from their nest. This observation revolutionized the definition of humans as the only toolmakers in the animal kingdom.