The chimpanzee, belonging to the genus Pan, represents one of humanity’s two closest living relatives, sharing an exceptionally high percentage of genetic material with Homo sapiens. The history of how this species moved from being a creature of rumor and local knowledge in Africa to a subject of global scientific study is a lengthy process of gradual recognition.
Ancient Knowledge and Early European Encounters
Accounts from the Carthaginian explorer Hanno the Navigator around 500 BC describe finding “hairy people” on a West African island, which his interpreters called Gorillae. Hanno’s crew reportedly captured and skinned three females, bringing the pelts back as trophies. This account likely refers to either chimpanzees or gorillas.
European traders and explorers sailing along the coast of West Central Africa began to provide more tangible descriptions in the 17th century. The Portuguese explorer Duarte Pacheco, for instance, documented the existence of great apes in his diary, noting their ability to use basic tools. In 1641, the Dutch anatomist Nicolaes Tulp published a drawing of an ape brought from Angola, which he called an “orang-outang,” applying a name meant for an Asian ape to this African specimen.
Formal Classification and Naming
The formal recognition of the chimpanzee began in the late 17th century, driven by the arrival of specimens in Europe. In 1699, British physician Edward Tyson conducted the first thorough anatomical study on a juvenile chimpanzee that had arrived in England from Angola. Though Tyson mistakenly titled his work Orang-Outang, sive Homo Sylvestris (Orang-utan, or Man of the Woods), his detailed dissection clearly distinguished the African ape’s anatomy from that of monkeys and humans.
The word “chimpanzee” itself first appeared in print in 1738 in The London Magazine, derived from the Tsiluba language term kivili-chimpenze, meaning “mockman.” German naturalist Johann Friedrich Blumenbach formally classified the common chimpanzee as Simia troglodytes in 1775. The current genus name, Pan, was later coined in 1816 by Lorenz Oken, resulting in the modern binomial name Pan troglodytes.
The Arrival of Live Specimens in the West
The 17th and 18th centuries saw a slow but steady stream of live chimpanzees transported to Europe, primarily as gifts for royalty or objects of curiosity. The first documented transport occurred around 1640, when a chimpanzee from Angola was given to Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange. These living specimens, though often short-lived due to harsh transport and unfamiliar environments, allowed scientists to move beyond preserved remains for comparative anatomy.
Their presence in zoos and menageries fueled intellectual debate about the relationship between humans and other animals following the publication of Darwin’s theory of natural selection in 1859. Researchers began to focus on the cognitive abilities of captive animals, seeking to understand the behavioral link to humans.
The Revolution of Field Research
Prior to 1960, virtually no scientific data existed on the behavior of wild chimpanzees. This lack of knowledge was reversed when Jane Goodall, at the request of paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey, began her long-term study at Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania in July 1960.
Goodall’s immersive approach yielded immediate discoveries. Within months, she observed a male chimpanzee named David Greybeard modifying a blade of grass to “fish” for termites, proving that chimpanzees made and used tools. This observation challenged the definition of humanity as the only tool-making species. Her subsequent decades of research documented complex social structures, lasting family bonds, and behaviors like hunting and organized group violence, fundamentally redefining the scientific understanding of our closest living relative.