The Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee (''Pan troglodytes ellioti'') is a subspecies of the common chimpanzee which inhabits the rainforest along the border of

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

and

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

. Male Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees can weigh up to 70 kilos with a body length of up to 1.2 metres and a height of 1.3 metres. Females are significantly smaller. Like the nominate subspecies, the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee has been classified as

Endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and in ...

by the IUCN, indicating a high risk of extinction in the near future.

History

The Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee has been classified as the fourth subspecies of chimpanzee since 1997 and is the least studied of these subspecies. Its populations are falling across its limited natural range, with between 3500 and 9000 individuals remaining.

Description

Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees weigh around 80 kg for adult males in captivity and 65 kg for adult females in captivity. They stand 1–1.7 m tall when erect.

Subpopulations

The Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee is found in: *

Gashaka-Gumti National Park Gashaka-Gumti National Park (GGNP) is a national park in Nigeria, It was gazetted from two game reserves in 1991 and is Nigeria’s largest national park. It is located in the eastern provinces of Taraba and Adamawa to the border with Cameroon. T ...

(900–1,000 individuals) *

Ngel Nyaki Forest Reserve The Ngel Nyaki Forest Reserve'', whose site is historically known as Majang, is situated on the Mambilla Plateau in NE Nigeria, covering 46 km2. It can be reached on foot from Yelwa village past the Mayo Jigawal, from where it is less than h ...

* Banyang-Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary,

(500–900 or 800–1,450 individuals) *

Ebo Wildlife Reserve The Ebo Wildlife Reserve is protected area and proposed national park in Cameroon that covers of lowland and montane forest mosaic with a high proportion of disturbed forest. The critically endangered Preuss's red colobus has been recorded within ...

(626–1,480 individuals) * Mbam Djerem National Park,

(at least 500 individuals) During a 2006 survey in southwestern

, the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee was found in Idanre Forest Reserve, Ifon Forest Reserve, Oluwa Forest Reserve, Omo Forest Reserve, Ise Forest Reserve, Ologbo Forest Reserve, and Okomu National Park. Chimpanzees were found in

Ondo State Ondo State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Oǹdó) is a state in southwestern Nigeria. It was created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. It borders Ekiti State to the north, Kogi State to the northeast, Edo State to the east, Delta State to ...

Ekiti State Ekiti State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Èkìtì) is a state in southwestern Nigeria, bordered to the north by Kwara State, to the northeast by Kogi State, to the south and southeast by Ondo State, and to the west by Osun State. Named for the Ekiti ...

, Edo State, and

Ogun State Ogun State is a state in southwestern Nigeria. Created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. Ogun State borders Lagos State to the south, Oyo State and Osun State to the north, Ondo State to the east, and the Republic of Benin to th ...

. Later surveys also confirmed that chimpanzees are also present in Akure-Ofosu Forest Reserve. This population is on the verge of extinction due to habitat loss, disease, human activities like hunting. The genetic affiliations of this population are also unclear. A June 2008 report said the Edumanom Forest Reserve was the last known site for chimpanzees in the

Niger Delta The Niger Delta is the delta of the Niger River sitting directly on the Gulf of Guinea on the Atlantic Ocean in Nigeria. It is located within nine coastal southern Nigerian states, which include: all six states from the South South geopolitic ...

Habitat

The subspecies inhabits tropical rain forests and

montane forests Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

at elevations of up to above sea level. There are also populations that primarily inhabit

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland- grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

habitats.

Lifespan

Individuals can live for 40 to 60 years.

Status and conservation

The Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee is recognised as the most threatened and least widely distributed of all the common chimpanzee subspecies, facing a high likelihood of

extinction Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

in the coming

decades A decade () is a period of ten years. Decades may describe any ten-year period, such as those of a person's life, or refer to specific groupings of calendar years. Usage Any period of ten years is a "decade". For example, the statement that "du ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3645447 Chimpanzees Mammals of West Africa Mammals of Cameroon