Chimpanzees in the context of "Archaic humans"

⭐ In the context of archaic humans, chimpanzees are considered…

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⭐ Core Definition: Chimpanzees

The chimpanzee (/ɪmpænˈzi/; Pan troglodytes), also simply known as the chimp, is a species of great ape native to the forests and savannahs of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed one. When its close relative, the bonobo, was more commonly known as the pygmy chimpanzee, this species was often called the common chimpanzee or the robust chimpanzee. The chimpanzee and the bonobo are the only species in the genus Pan. Evidence from fossils and DNA sequencing shows that Pan is a sister taxon to the human lineage and is thus humans' closest living relative.

The chimpanzee is covered in coarse black hair but has a bare face, fingers, toes, palms of the hands, and soles of the feet. It is larger and more robust than the bonobo, weighing 40–70 kg (88–154 lb) for males and 27–50 kg (60–110 lb) for females and standing 150 cm (4 ft 11 in).

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👉 Chimpanzees in the context of Archaic humans

Homo (from Latin homō 'human') is a genus of great ape (family Hominidae) that emerged from the early homininian genus Australopithecus, encompassing a single extant species, Homo sapiens (modern humans), along with a number of extinct species (e.g. Homo erectus and Homo neanderthalensis) classified as either ancestral or closely related to modern humans, collectively called archaic humans. Homo, together with the genus Paranthropus, is probably most closely related to the species Australopithecus africanus within Australopithecus. The closest living relatives of Homo are of the hominin genus Pan (chimpanzees and bonobos), with the ancestors of Pan and Homo estimated to have diverged around 5.7–11 million years ago during the Late Miocene.

The oldest member of the genus is Homo habilis, with fossil records of just over 2 million years ago. H. erectus appeared about 2 million years ago and spread throughout Africa (debatably as another species called Homo ergaster) and Eurasia in several migrations. The species was adaptive and successful, and persisted for more than a million years before gradually diverging into new species around 500,000 years ago.

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Chimpanzees in the context of Kneeling

Kneeling is a basic human position where one or both knees touch the ground. According to Merriam-Webster, kneeling is defined as "to position the body so that one or both knees rest on the floor". Kneeling with only one knee, and not both, is called genuflection.

Kneeling is a primate behavior used to convey deference by making the figure that is kneeling appear smaller than the other. Primates themselves establish a dominance hierarchy (or "pecking order") which is important to the survival and behavior of the group. Chimpanzees, for example, have a complex social group that involves a dominant male and a corresponding female, to whom the other males and the juvenile chimps are submissive. Males who threaten the hierarchy are often severely injured or killed; in some instances, the use of submissive behavior is necessary to ensure survival.

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