Jane Goodall was a scientist who studied chimpanzees. She spent almost 30 years watching chimpanzees in the wild in Africa. She was known for waiting for groups of chimpanzees to get used to her presence. She made some important discoveries.
She saw chimpanzees using objects as tools. She saw a chimpanzee using blades of grass to get termites out of a hole. She also saw chimpanzees make their own tools. They would remove the leaves from small twigs. Then, they would use the twigs to dig for termites. Until Dr. Goodall’s observations, humans were the only living things known to use and make tools. Since then, other scientists have seen chimpanzees using tools. They use stones to break open nut shells and fruit. Dr. Goodall also found that chimpanzees were omnivores (animals that eat both plants and animals). Chimpanzees eat fruit, nuts, seeds, and leaves. They also eat insects, eggs, birds, and mice.
Dr. Goodall also worked to protect the forest habitats important to chimpanzees. Deforestation (clearing large areas of trees) is a major threat to chimpanzees. It limits habitat (the place where living things live) and food sources. In 1991, she founded Roots & Shoots. It is an organization that helps young people get into conservation (protection of an important natural area or resource).
What Do You Think? What kinds of conservation are happening in your area?
Photo Credit: (t)Everett Collection Inc/Alamy Stock Photo, (b)Ferenc Szelepcsenyi/Shutterstock
