Chimpanzees are great apes found across central and West Africa. Along with bonobos, they are our closest living relatives, sharing 98.7% of our genetic blueprint. Humans and chimps are also thought to share a common ancestor who lived some seven to 13 million years ago. Chimpanzees are highly social. They live in communities of several dozen animals, led by an alpha male and his coalition of male allies. Research has shown that male and female chimps have individual personalities, with females being more trusting and timid. Grooming is an important part of their social life, helping chimpanzees bond as they remove ticks and dirt from one another’s bodies.
This intelligent animal is one of the few species we know to use tools—which primatologist Jane Goodall famously observed in 1960. Her groundbreaking discovery led archeologist Louis Leakey to declare, “Now we must redefine ‘tool,’ redefine ‘man,’ or accept chimpanzees as humans.” As Goodall observed, chimpanzees shape and use sticks to retrieve insects from their nests or dig grubs out of logs. They use stones to smash open tasty nuts and employ leaves as sponges to soak up drinking water. And chimpanzees can even be taught to use some basic human sign language.
Measures: 25cm
Hansa Toys stand apart from the competition because of the quality, attention to detail, and pin point accuracy of specific animal characteristics that are used in each production.
Artists create each Hansa animal from portraits of the creature in its natural habitat. Hansa meticulously hand-cuts and trims the coats of each animal, never by machine, and they have specially trained Hansa artisans to create the subtle colouring on the animals by hand painting or airbrushing. On average, there are 42 separate pieces required to make each animal. (Some animals have as many as 240 different parts!)
Please note: Hansa Puppets are floppy and do not stand on their own as shown in some of the official product photos. While this puppet has moveable arms and head, the mouth does not open and close.
