AnAge entry for Pan troglodytes
Classification (HAGRID: 02791)
- Taxonomy
-
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia (Taxon entry)
Order: Primates (Taxon entry)
Family: Hominidae
Genus: Pan
- Species
- Pan troglodytes
- Common name
- Chimpanzee
Lifespan, ageing, and relevant traits
- IMR
- 0.04/year
- MRDT
- 8 years
- Maximum longevity
- 68 years (captivity)
- Source
- ref. 1324
- Sample size
- Large
- Data quality
- Acceptable
- Observations
Physiological observations indicate that chimpanzees develop age-related changes typical of humans at considerably earlier ages, and geriatric chimpanzees were originally defined as animals with 34 years of age and older [0590]. Even in captivity, young adult chimpanzees have considerably higher mortality rates than humans [0008]. Therefore, while it is not known whether the pace of ageing is different between chimpanzees and humans, the onset of ageing appears to occur at earlier ages in chimpanzees. The MRTD and IMR were estimated based on mortality rates obtained from field sites [0834]. The difference in longevity does not appear to be related to telomere shortening. Telomere attrition rates are similar between the two species and telomeres are twice as long in chimpanzees than in humans [1172]. Additionally, unlike humans, chimpanzees exhibit few age-related changes in total brain and grey matter volume, cortical thickness, and mean depth and folding of major cortical sulci [1173]. Aged animals have been found to manifest two of the main histological markers for Alzheimer's Disease in humans, Abeta plaques and NFT [1319]. Unlike humans, microglia activation was not found to be associated with tau lesions [1320], and other patterns also seem to suggest a difference in the inflammatory process between humans and chimpanzees in response to Alzheimer's disease [1323]. Furthermore, female chimpanzees have been shown to experience an age-related decline in their cognitive flexibility [1321].
Determining the maximum longevity of chimpanzees is problematic due to the many anecdotal reports. "Cheeta", a male chimpanzee who participated in some Tarzan movies, has been reported to still be alive [0505], and having died at 80 years of age [0853]; these claims have not been verified and may well be exaggerated. One wild-born female called "Little Mama" was estimated to be over 70 years of age at Lion Country Safari in Florida [0842]. Another specimen, called "Gregoire", reportedly died at the age of 66 in Congo after living most of his life in Brazzaville Zoo. In spite of these claims, chimpanzees in captivity have not been confirmed to live for more than 60 years [0671]. The previously established maximum longevity of chimpanzees belonged to a female called "Gamma" that was 59.4 years old when she died in 1992 at Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center in Atlanta [0574]. However, recently a male, "Jhonny", died in 2019 at the Kobe Oji Zoo in Japan, estimated to be 68 years old [1324]. Similarly, the maximum longevity in the wild belongs to one 55 year-old female, though there are unverified reports suggesting a longer lifespan [0008].
There is considerable controversy regarding whether chimpanzees reach menopause [0976]. A 56 year-old female has been reported to give birth at Sunset Zoo in Manhattan, Kansas [0854]. Menopause coincides with the end of lifespan in many nonhuman primates. Changes in the reproductive tracts of aged chimpanzees mimic changes described in the reproductive tracts of aged humans, apart from malignant changes in the mammary gland and prostate gland [1233].
Long-lived captive males have been shown to be associates with personality traits like low aggression, cooperation and protectiveness [1322].
Chimpanzees have been shown to suffer from a decline in their stress response system with age, in a similar way to humans [1325].
Life history traits (averages)
- Female sexual maturity
- 3,376 days
- Male sexual maturity
- 2,920 days
- Gestation
- 229 days
- Weaning
- 1,111 days
- Litter size
- 1 (viviparous)
- Litters per year
- 0.2
- Inter-litter interval
- 840 days
- Weight at birth
- 1,821 g
- Weight at weaning
- 8,500 g
- Adult weight
- 44,984 g
- Postnatal growth rate
- 0.0007 days-1 (from Gompertz function)
- Maximum longevity residual
- 270%
Metabolism
- Typical body temperature
- 309ºK or 35.7ºC or 96.3ºF
- Basal metabolic rate
- Not yet available
References
- [1325] Emery Thompson et al. (2020), Wild chimpanzees exhibit humanlike aging of glucocorticoid regulation (PubMed)
- [1324] Havercamp et al. (2019), Longevity and mortality of captive chimpanzees in Japan from 1921 to 2018 (PubMed)
- [1323] Munger et al. (2019), Astrocytic changes with aging and Alzheimer's disease-type pathology in chimpanzees (PubMed)
- [1322] Altschul et al. (2018), Personality links with lifespan in chimpanzees (PubMed)
- [1321] Lacreuse et al. (2018), Age-related decline in cognitive flexibility in female chimpanzees (PubMed)
- [1320] Edler et al. (2018), Microglia changes associated to Alzheimer's disease pathology in aged chimpanzees (PubMed)
- [1319] Edler et al. (2017), Aged chimpanzees exhibit pathologic hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (PubMed)
- [1280] Kumar et al. (2017), Natural pathology of the captive chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes): A 35-year review (PubMed)
- [1261] Wood et al. (2017), Favorable ecological circumstances promote life expectancy in chimpanzees similar to that of human hunter-gatherers (PubMed)
- [1236] Didier et al. (2016), Contributions of Nonhuman Primates to Research on Aging (PubMed)
- [1233] Chaffee et al. (2016), Spontaneous Reproductive Tract Lesions in Aged Captive Chimpanzees (PubMed)
- [1232] Chilton et al. (2016), Characterization of a Cardiorenal-like Syndrome in Aged Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) (PubMed)
- [1231] Lowenstine et al. (2016), Comparative Pathology of Aging Great Apes: Bonobos, Chimpanzees, Gorillas, and Orangutans (PubMed)
- [1174] Gilissen et al. (2016), A neuronal aging pattern unique to humans and common chimpanzees (PubMed)
- [1173] Autrey et al. (2014), Age-related effects in the neocortical organization of chimpanzees: gray and white matter volume, cortical thickness, and gyrification (PubMed)
- [1172] Tackney et al. (2014), Blood cell telomere lengths and shortening rates of chimpanzee and human females (PubMed)
- [1213] Paredes et al. (2014), Age-related alterations of plasma glutathione and oxidation of redox potentials in chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) and rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) (PubMed)
- [1150] Jones et al. (2014), Diversity of ageing across the tree of life (PubMed)
- [1131] Lacreuse et al. (2014), Cognitive and motor aging in female chimpanzees (PubMed)
- [1125] Alberts et al. (2013), Reproductive aging patterns in primates reveal that humans are distinct (PubMed)
- [1123] Blevins et al. (2013), Brief communication: Adrenal androgens and aging: Female chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) compared with women (PubMed)
- [1122] Chen et al. (2013), Brain aging in humans, chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), and rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta): magnetic resonance imaging studies of macro- and microstructural changes (PubMed)
- [1099] Ely et al. (2013), Hypertension increases with aging and obesity in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) (PubMed)
- [1143] Nussey et al. (2013), Senescence in natural populations of animals: widespread evidence and its implications for bio-gerontology (PubMed)
- [1116] Weiss et al. (2012), Evidence for a midlife crisis in great apes consistent with the U-shape in human well-being (PubMed)
- [0866] Nunamaker et al. (2012), Chronic diseases in captive geriatric female Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) (PubMed)
- [1089] Herndon et al. (2012), Menopause occurs late in life in the captive chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) (PubMed)
- [0899] Sherwood et al. (2011), Aging of the cerebral cortex differs between humans and chimpanzees (PubMed)
- [1091] Bronikowski et al. (2011), Aging in the natural world: comparative data reveal similar mortality patterns across primates (PubMed)
- [0877] Fujisawa et al. (2010), Farsightedness (presbyopia) in a wild elderly chimpanzee: the first report (PubMed)
- [1078] Hawkes et al. (2009), Mortality and fertility rates in humans and chimpanzees: How within-species variation complicates cross-species comparisons (PubMed)
- [0844] Atsalis and Videan (2009), Reproductive aging in captive and wild common chimpanzees: factors influencing the rate of follicular depletion (PubMed)
- [0871] Videan et al. (2008), Reproductive aging in female chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) (PubMed)
- [0862] Lacreuse et al. (2008), Menstrual cycles continue into advanced old age in the common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) (PubMed)
- [0837] Rosen et al. (2008), Tauopathy with paired helical filaments in an aged chimpanzee (PubMed)
- [0846] Seraphin et al. (2008), The influence of age on fecal steroid hormone levels in male Budongo Forest chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) (PubMed)
- [0753] Videan et al. (2008), Effects of aging on hematology and serum clinical chemistry in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) (PubMed)
- [0752] Emery Thompson et al. (2007), Aging and fertility patterns in wild chimpanzees provide insights into the evolution of menopause (PubMed)
- [0736] Videan et al. (2006), The effects of aging on hormone and reproductive cycles in female chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) (PubMed)
- [0607] Dou et al. (2006), Co-evolutionary analysis of insulin/insulin like growth factor 1 signal pathway in vertebrate species (PubMed)
- [0834] de Magalhaes (2006), Species selection in comparative studies of aging and antiaging research
- [0535] Fraser et al. (2005), Aging and gene expression in the primate brain (PubMed)
- [0671] Richard Weigl (2005), Longevity of Mammals in Captivity; from the Living Collections of the World
- [0976] Cohen (2004), Female post-reproductive lifespan: a general mammalian trait (PubMed)
- [0072] Sugiyama (2004), Demographic parameters and life history of chimpanzees at Bossou, Guinea (PubMed)
- [0256] Finch and Stanford (2004), Meat-adaptive genes and the evolution of slower aging in humans (PubMed)
- [0234] Howell et al. (2003), Normal hematologic and serum clinical chemistry values for captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) (PubMed)
- [0073] Gunji et al. (2003), Extraordinarily low bone mineral density in an old female chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) from the Mahale Mountains National Park (PubMed)
- [0681] Peter Kappeler and Michael Pereira (2003), Primate Life Histories and Socioecology
- [0610] Ernest (2003), Life history characteristics of placental non-volant mammals
- [0467] Lindenfors (2002), Sexually antagonistic selection on primate size
- [0008] Hill et al. (2001), Mortality rates among wild chimpanzees (PubMed)
- [0434] Ronald Nowak (1999), Walker's Mammals of the World
- [1057] Fowler et al. (1999), Establishing the presence of a body temperature rhythm in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) using a tympanic membrane thermometer
- [0463] Austad (1997), Small nonhuman primates as potential models of human aging (PubMed)
- [0235] Gearing et al. (1996), A beta40 is a major form of beta-amyloid in nonhuman primates (PubMed)
- [0574] Hakeem et al. (1996), Brain and life span in primates
- [0676] Purvis and Harvey (1995), Mammal life-history evolution: a comparative test of Charnov's model
- [0236] Gearing et al. (1994), Neuropathology and apolipoprotein E profile of aged chimpanzees: implications for Alzheimer disease (PubMed)
- [0455] Virginia Hayssen et al. (1993), Asdell's Patterns of Mammalian Reproduction: A Compendium of Species-Specific Data
- [0237] Sumner et al. (1989), Apparent age-related bone loss among adult female Gombe chimpanzees (PubMed)
- [0680] Wootton (1987), The effects of body mass, phylogeny, habitat, and trophic level on mammalian age at first reproduction
- [0679] Harvey and Clutton-Brock (1985), Life-history variation in primates
- [0731] Zullinger et al. (1984), Fitting sigmoid equations to mammalian growth curves
- [0323] Gould et al. (1981), Chimpanzee reproductive senescence: a possible model for evolution of the menopause (PubMed)
- [0059] Tolmasoff et al. (1980), Superoxide dismutase: correlation with life-span and specific metabolic rate in primate species (PubMed)
- [0436] Cutler (1979), Evolution of human longevity: a critical overview (PubMed)
- [0238] Graham (1979), Reproductive function in aged female chimpanzees (PubMed)
- [0239] Graham and McClure (1977), Ovarian tumors and related lesions in aged chimpanzees (PubMed)
- [0854] Sunset Zoo
- [0853] Suncoast Primate Sanctuary
- [0842] Lion Country Safari
- [0590] ChimpanZoo
- [0505] C.H.E.E.T.A. Primate Sanctuary
External Resources
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System
- ITIS 573082
- Animal Diversity Web
- ADW account (if available)
- Encyclopaedia of Life
- Search EOL
- NCBI Taxonomy
- Taxonomy ID 9598
- Entrez
- Search all databases
- Ageing Literature
- Search Google Scholar or Search PubMed
- Images
- Google Image search
- Internet
- Search Google