Humans used to have whiskers too (about 800 000 years ago we lost the DNA for whiskers), but have now largely integrated the function performed by whiskers into their brains, specifically into their somatosensory cortex. In general, animals use whiskers to help them ‘see’ the world, navigate it and identify features. These are used specifically for object recognition, whether it’s your rat’s favourite toy or your hand. Short whiskers are microvibrissae, and they cannot be moved voluntarily. Animals use these to sweep areas (called whisking) to navigate spaces and generally feel the world.

Long whiskers are macrovibrissae and can be moved voluntarily. You may have noticed when looking at your cat that there are 2 kinds of whiskers, long and short. Whisker follicles are much deeper than hair follicles and are surrounded by pockets of blood that amplify vibrations to better communicate information to the nerve cells beside the follicles.

Whiskers are vibrissae, keratin filaments that grow out of different follicles than hair. So why don’t Homo sapiens have whiskers like other simians? To answer that, let me explain first what whiskers do, besides look adorable. Gunn, Cha Mia & Lifflick, Melissa & Mathis, Jocelyn, Chimpanzees, retrieved 9/18/09, /~mathijo/chimp.Humans might not have hair as thick as chimpanzees covering their body, but our arm, leg and eyebrow hair all serves as reminders of our primate ancestry. Some scientists believe that this may even give us insight into the evolution of the human species.Ĭhoi, Charles, Special to Live Science, 2/22/07, retrieved 9/18/09, /animals/070222-chimp-hunters.html Some chimps in the savanna have even been observed sharpening sticks with their teeth and using them to hunt bushbabies. Whatever the reason is for the behavior, it is certainly proof that these creatures are very intelligent. Others believe that they eat meat for nutrition purposes, though they seem to do okay without it. Some experts believe that it is a social behavior and that the sharing of the meat has a social significance. There are several theories that seem to explain why chimpanzees hunt. Some experts believe that this sharing is part of the reason that chimps hunt when they could easily survive without the meat. The meat from the hunt is then shared among the chimps in the group’s community. They hunt prey both on the ground and in the trees, though they mostly hunt in the trees as red colobus monkeys are their favorite source of meat. The groups are typically made up of males, but females have been known to join the hunt and hunt on their own. However, Goodall observed them actively hunting, killing and eating various prey and it became known that they were omnivorous.Ĭhimpanzees hunt alone or in groups of up to thirty-five individuals. Until the 1960’s when primatoligist Jane Goodall was studying chimpanzees, it was believed that these animals were strictly vegetarian. They seek mostly fruits and vegetables because meat only makes up about 3% of their overall food intake. Even more interesting is the way they hunt for it.Ĭhimpanzees live in tropical rainforest, savanna and grasslands in Africa, where they spend about six hours each day, hunting or foraging for food. What is quite interesting is that they are omnivorous, like humans, which makes them and their close cousins the bonobos, the only other members of the great ape family that eat meat. Like humans, chimpanzees are able to form a number of facial expressions, they are also able to make rudimentary tools. They are known for their intelligence and their remarkable resemblance to humans. They have long arms, short legs and opposable thumbs and toes. Chimpanzees are relatively large primates that are nearly covered in black hair.

Chimpanzee without hair