Chimpanzees (sometimes called
chimps) are one of two exclusively African species of extant
great ape. Native to
subsaharan Africa, both are currently found in the
Congo jungle. Classified in the genus
Pan, they were once considered to be one species. However, since 1928, they have been recognized as two distinct species: the
common chimpanzee (
P. troglodytes) live north of the Congo River and the
bonobo (
P. paniscus) who live south. In addition, P. troglodytes is divided into four subspecies, while P. paniscus has none. Based on genome sequencing, the two extant
Pan species diverged around one million years ago. The most obvious differences are that chimpanzees are somewhat larger, more aggressive and male dominated, while the bonobos are more gracile, peaceful and female dominated.