WILD BEASTS OF THE WORLD 



THE CHIMPANZEE 



{Anthropopithecus troglodytes) 



TAKING it all round, from youth to old age, in appearance and behaviour, 

 the Chimpanzee is the most nearly human of all beasts, and, as it is 

 the hardiest of all man-like apes, and therefore the most familiar in 

 captivity, it is the best known of all of them by sight, though hardly 

 rivalling its formidable relative, the Gorilla, in reputation in the popular 

 mind. 



It will be noticed in the illustration that the arms of the creature, 

 as in all apes, are very long, reaching, indeed, below the knee when 

 it stands erect ; but they are shorter, and therefore more human, than 

 in any other ape ; while the legs, though shorter proportionately than in 

 Man and the Gorilla, are longer than in the Orang. The big ears of 

 the Chimpanzee contrast with the small, refined-looking ones of the 

 latter apes ; but as the size of the ears varies much in Man, this is not 

 a very important point. The sex difference in the face of the Chim- 

 panzee is not notable, nor is there much difference in size between the 

 sexes, although the male is the larger, attaining a height of more 

 than four feet. He also has more powerful teeth. 



There is, however, much diversity in Chimpanzees, both individual 

 and racial ; each seems to have a different face, though all preserve the 

 same general " caricature Irishman " type, and the complexion may 

 vary from dirty flesh-colour to black, many having mottled faces. The 

 coat, though always long and generally black, also shows much diver- 

 sity, some individuals being nearly as shaggy as bears, while others 

 are scantily clad, especially on the head. The celebrated "Sally," 

 formerly at the London Zoological Gardens, belonged to a black-faced, 



