CHIMPANZEE, Troglodytes niger, a species of ape; one of those which in form and structure exhibit the greatest resemblance to man. It is a native of the warmest parts of Africa; to which also the gorilla (q.v.), a larger species of the same genus, belongs. The C. is sometimes called the black orang; but differs from the orang (q.v.) (pithecus) of Asia in the proportionally shorter arms, which, however, are much longer than those of man; in the possession of an additional dorsal vertebra, and an additional or thir teenth pair of ribs; and in other particulars, in some of which it more nearly resembles, and in others more widely differs, from the human species. In both, the difference from man is very wide in the general adaptation of the structure for movement ou all fours and for climbing and moving about among branches, rather than for erect walking, although the C. is able to move in an erect posture more easily than any other ape, usually, however, when so doing, holding its thighs with its hands; and still more in the form of the skull, and consequent aspect of the countenance, the facial angle being as low as 35° in the C. when it is measured without to the high bony ridges which project above the eyes; the jaws excessively projecting, and the outline of the face rather concave. There is also an important difference from the human species in the den tition; although the number of teeth of each kind is the same, the canine teeth of the apes are elongated, so as to pass each other, and corresponding intervals are provided for them in the opposite jaw. An interesting point of difference of the anatomy of the C. and omng from that of man, is in the muscle which in man terminates in a single tendon, and concentrates its action on the great toe, terminating in the apes in three tendons, none of which is connected with the great toe or hinder thumb, but which flex the three middle toes; part of the adaptation of the foot for claspino. as a hand. The great
toe both of the C. and orang is shorter than the other toes, and opposed to them as a thumb.
The C. does not seem to attain a height of quite 4 ft. when in an erect posture. Its skin is thinly covered with long black hair in front; the hair is thicker on the head, back, and limbs. The ears are remarkably prominent, thin, and naked, not unlike human cars in shape. The nose appears as little more than a mere wrinkle of the skin. The thumb of the hand is small and weak, that of the foot comparatively large and powerful. In a wild state, the animal appears to be gregarious, but its habits are not well known. Truth and fable have been so mixed up in the accounts of it that new information must be obtained from reliable sources, before even things not in themselves very improbable can be believed. In a state of confinement, it exhibits, at least when young,considerable gentleness and docility, and readily learns to imitate human actions, in eating with a spoon, drinking out of a glass, and the like; but its intelligence does not appear to be superior to that of many other monkeys, or indeed of many kinds of brutes. Its natural food consists chiefly ,of fruit ana other vegetable substances; in confinement, it exhibits a great fondness for sweetmeats and for wine. The C. is impatient of cold, and the climate of Britain soon proves fatal to it.