Onyx makes a play face as she and Riley have a play session. It may even be accompanied by laughter (one of the best sounds on earth in my opinion). A chimpanzee enjoying a good tickle session with another chimp may show their bottom row of teeth with their mouth open and relaxed. The closest expression chimps have to a smile is a play face.

Chimps make this expression when they are afraid, unsure, stressed, or wanting to appear submissive to a more dominant troop member. The expression commonly believed to be a smile вЂ“ where the lips are pulled back completely to show both the top and bottom teeth вЂ“ is actually what we call a fear grimace. Stoic and firm Slim is the alpha of her group of 11 and this is apparent when her groupmates rush to greet her each morning when she makes her appearance at breakfast.Д®llie is serious and diplomatic in handling disputes amongst her group of seven and is quick to reassure the upset parties and try to restore peace.Д¬himpanzees have a wide variety of facial expressions but a true smile is not one of them. Some of our notable вЂњgirl bossesвЂќ are Slim and Ellie.

However, there are some cases when a female will rise through the ranks to become the alpha. In most chimpanzee troops the leader of this hierarchy, or вЂњalphaвЂќ of the group, is male.

Chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, and gibbons all do not have tails вЂ“ making them apes! Monkeys not only have tails, but are usually smaller in size compared to apes.Д¬himpanzee family groups are organized into hierarchies for both males and females. There are many differences between the two, but the easiest way to tell if a primate is a monkey or a great ape is by noting whether or not they have a tail. Chimpanzees are not monkeys! Most primates fall into two categories: great apes and monkeys. This is a very common misconception about chimpanzees. At Chimp Haven, Emma is infamous for pointing at nearby blueberry bushes or our food storage building any time staff is near in an attempt to acquire some additional snacks. They are capable of pointing to an object they want to let someone know that they want it. If youвЂ™ve ever pointed a finger to identify something you want, you are a purposeful pointer! Chimpanzees also fall into this category. This myth probably stems from the many gestures and facial expressions chimps already use to communicate with each other and the deep interest in knowing if our closest living relative could master and use a language familiar to us.ДЇun Fact: Chimpanzees are purposeful pointers. Very few chimpanzees actually know sign language! There have been a small handful of great apes who have been taught some form of sign language or symbols to communicate, but certainly not the majority of the population. Myth: Many chimpanzees know sign language and can be taught to communicate this way. I surveyed some of our caregivers for their favorite fun facts about chimpanzees are, as well as some myths theyвЂ™d like busted about the species. ItвЂ™s safe to say that caring for chimpanzees вЂ“ let alone more than 270 of them вЂ“ is a unique profession! Caregivers are often asked what it is like to work with chimps from friends, family, and sanctuary guests. Additionally, sensory enrichment activities like burning incense, playing music and painting are also offered to stimulate animal residents and prevent boredom.By Jordan Green, Chimp Haven Animal Caregiver To ensure each day is unique, staff provides daily food enrichment treats using a variety of ingredients and enrichment methods that allow the animals to resourcefully seek food as they would in nature. PPI has an innovative enrichment program to promote natural wild behaviors and mental stimulation. Now they get to live the rest of their lives with dignity and can make choices about how they want to spend their days. Here they are housed in compatible groups and have same species companionship. Many of the animals-including capuchins, spider monkeys, macaques and lemurs-led limited, dismal lives and many were kept alone in small cages prior to coming to PPI. All were exploited and then discarded by the research and entertainment industries as well as the exotic pet trade. Primarily Primates is a non-profit sanctuary in Bexar County, Texas that provides lifetime care for hundreds of animals, mostly primates, including 32 chimpanzees.

Monkey chimpanzee