Virtual Flash Cards

10 of the most well-known primate species

#1

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Photo courtesy of © Innocent Ampeire
what is thIS PRIMATE'S common name?
EASTERN CHIMPANZEE
What is the scientific name?
Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii
​WHAT KIND OF PRIMATE IS THIS?
GREAT APE
Where do they live?
Eastern chimpanzees are native to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda, with a small population in Burundi.
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Eastern chimpanzees are a subspecies of the common chimpanzee. Common chimpanzees can be found across the forests and savannas of equatorial Africa. They make their homes in a variety of habitats from savannas to tropical rainforests, low-altitude forests, and mountain forests. 
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Africa
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Where Eastern chimpanzees live. Map: Luís Fernández García/Creative Commons
New world or old world?
Old World
fascinating facts
  • Eastern chimpanzees are the smallest of the common chimpanzee subspecies
  • They are distinguished by more rounded heads, more subtle brow ridges, and shorter limbs than the other chimpanzee subspecies
  • Eastern chimpanzees are among the most well-studied animals in the world thanks to the work of or inspired by Dr. Jane Goodall​
What threatens their future?
Chimpanzees are threatened by hunting, illegal trade, habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, and disease; populations are declining.
​WHAT IS their CONSERVATION STATUS?
ENDANGERED
What Does this Conservation Status mean?
Endangered (EN) = High risk of extinction in the wild
Any species categorized as Critically Endangered, Endangered, or Vulnerable is considered by conservation scientists to be a threatened species
​HERE'S A SNAPSHOT AND THE SPECIES' PROFILE
Click or tap on the graphic to enlarge it
​LEARN MORE ABOUT EASTERN CHIMPANZEES
Go to the Eastern chimpanzee Primate Species Profiles page
are chimpanzees good pets?
NO
  1. Primates should never be pets.
  2. Chimpanzees become very large and are much stronger than humans.
  3. To become pets, baby chimpanzees are cruelly stolen from their mothers and endure trauma and abuse. In the wild, the mother, and often the entire family, is killed to capture one baby.
  4. Chimpanzees should be with their mothers for the first 10 years of their lives, with similar dependencies as human children.
  5. Chimpanzees belong with other chimpanzees.
  6. In most places, it is illegal to buy and sell chimpanzees. In many places, it is illegal to keep a chimpanzee as a pet.
  7. Chimpanzees are an Endangered species. There are strict regulations against trading in and keeping Endangered species.
  8. Chimpanzees should be protected in their natural habitats in Africa, which means that their habitats must also be protected.
#PrimatesAreNotPets
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​Common names are not officially defined. They are based on everyday conversational language and may differ by country, region, profession, community, or other factors. As a result, it is not unusual for a species to have multiple common names.

Scientific names, on the other hand, are standardized and constant. They are Latinized and rule-bound by a formal naming system called binominal nomenclature. Scientific names prevent misidentification. They typically only change if a species is officially redesignated.
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The biological order of Primates is divided into these classifications:​
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​​New World monkeys are native to Central and South America.

Old World monkeys are native to Africa and Asia.
Learn about the differences between New World monkeys and Old World monkeys
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  • ​Extinct (EX) – No known individuals remaining.
  • Extinct in the Wild (EW) – Known only to survive in captivity.
  • Critically Endangered (CR) – Extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
  • Endangered (EN) – High risk of extinction in the wild.
  • Vulnerable (VU) – High risk of endangerment in the wild.
  • Near Threatened (NT) – Likely to become endangered in the near future.
  • Least Concern (LC) – Widespread and abundant.
  • Data Deficient (DD) – Not enough data to assess the species' risk of extinction.
  • Not Evaluated (NE) – Has not yet been evaluated.
Learn more about ​Conservation Statuses
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