The Chimpanzees of Tanzania : Chimpanzees are largely found in some African countries. In Tanzania, chimpanzees live near the shores of vast Lake Tanganyika, the second deepest lake in the world. The Gombe National Park and Greystone of Mahale Mountain are the best places for trekking Chimpanzees in Tanzania. In general, chimpanzees are best known for being similar to humans on earth. It is not hard to see why we look very alike, and scientists have worked out and discovered that we share around 94 to 98 percent of DNA with them. With that being said though, we are still different. The chimps are habituated to being around people.
They are still completely wild and untouched, but for one hour out of the day, humans can get close to them in their environment at Mahale Mountain of Gombe National Park, Tanzania. Observing these animals gives an insight into their behavior and how they act in their natural environment. They have been observed showing strong emotions and growing bonds with each other, very similar to what we humans do. It is fascinating to learn about them and observe them. The chimpanzees of Tanzania have many unique behaviors to learn about;
Family Life
It is a great delight to see the chimpanzees in their natural habitat. Chimpanzees are very peaceful and powerful animals living their own lives and having their personality.
Mostly they spend time hanging out posing, playing in the trees, exerting their dominance, and mating. There are very special families of chimpanzees living on the lake shore of Lake Tanganyika at the steep falls and inside the hills of Gombe National Park of Tanzania. There are 3 groups of chimpanzee families. The largest and best-known family is the Kasekela community. It has 45 members with 7 dominant families. Some of the families started over 3 generations and are full of real characters just like a human family. The average life span of chimpanzees is about 50 years. It is the most fan to watch and take photos with the chimpanzees of Tanzania.
Feeding
Chimpanzees are not straight vegetarians since they rarely eat meat. Feeding is the main occupation that keeps chimpanzees busy for about 6-8 hours each day. They mostly enjoy eating natural forest fruits, seeds, flowers, nuts, and insects such as ants. Surprisingly, chimpanzees sometimes hunt and kill other animals for meat. The hunting part holds up to 3 dozen members and their search could last up to 4 hours. They hunt 25 animal species including small antelopes and wild pigs. Their favorite prey is the white colobus monkeys. When they meet their prey in the forest, is when their brain power pays off. They take positions in the tree tops surrounding the prey. Male chimpanzees will always fight to kill prey for meat using their sharp teeth. The Big males dominate the group and they are the first to eat meat after killing. Just like humans, males share food with their families.
Young Chimpanzees
You chimpanzees have their mother’s love in nature. When a baby chimp is born the mother beds the baby by looking at the entire body preparing him for survival in the world. A newborn chimpanzee weighs approximately 2 kilos, with not much body hair, and a vulnerability to cold. so, the mother keeps the baby warm to maintain its body temperature and watch it closely.
A baby chimpanzee can’t do anything by himself so the mother issues the greatest support until the baby starts to walk and become independent. The birth of a new baby brings great attention to the group, they become very interested to hold the baby whether they are connected by blood or not. Young chimps like spending time with each other, competing, and playing together. Twins are very rare but sometimes they occur.
