Chimpanzees:
Their Lifecycle
The lifecycle of a chimpanzee if like that of a human. They
go through many stages including the stage of adolescence through
adulthood.
As all mammals do, baby chimpanzees are the result of mating
rituals performed by the parents.When a chimp is a little baby,
it feeds on its mothers milk generally for three years. After
that, they adopt the behaviors performed by their parents. Baby
chimps are raised primarily by the mother.
Immature chimpanzees have white hairs on their rumps. Weaning
occurs after five years, with puberty reached in females at about
eight to nine years. An eleven year old female my bear her first
infant. She may remain fertile until age 40, with births at
intervals of three to five years. For males, maturity is reached
at about 15 years.
Male adult chimps stand about 42 inches high and weigh about
110 lb. whereas the female is slightly smaller and weighs about
88 lb. The average lifespan of a chimp is about 40 to 50 years in
the wild.
Go to: