Nature
PUBLISHED
Some animals naturally have extraordinarily long lifespans, like the Greenland shark or the bowhead whale. Others, however, far outlive their expected lifespans, reaching multiple significant birthdays. One such creature is Joao the chimpanzee.
Believed to be the world’s oldest ever recorded chimpanzee, Joao's exact age is uncertain, although he is estimated to be in his 80s. He was born into a circus in Mozambique in the 1940s and was then transferred to Maputo Zoo with another chimp from the circus. Unfortunately, his companion passed away, and before the zoo could find him another, World War Two broke out.
As a consequence, Joao lived alone without the company of other chimps for 45 years, though he is said to have learnt to communicate with a troop of yellow baboons that lived next door. Then, in 2006, he arrived at Chimp Eden sanctuary in South Africa, set up by the Jane Goodall Institute.
There, Joao lives as part of one of three chimpanzee groups: Group 2. He was originally the alpha male of, but has since let another chimp called Thomas take over, though he continues to live within the group. Despite his original lack of social contact, he plays the role of a surrogate mother and teaches the younger chimps discipline. Now, at approximately 82, he shows signs of grey hair and balding.
According to Guinness World Records, the oldest chimpanzee in captivity ever was a female known as Little Mama. Previously a member of the travelling variety show The Ice Capades, Little Mama lived at the Lion Country Safari in Florida from 1967 onwards. Like Joao, Little Mama also has a connection to the late Dr Jane Goodall, who visited her in the park in 1972, determining that she was around 30-35 years old at the time.
The park decided to split the difference, making Little Mama 32 in 1972 and giving her a birthday of February 14. Little Mama died in 2017, at approximately 77 years old.
In Europe, one of the oldest chimps lives at Twycross Zoo in the UK, where she arrived in 1969. Named Coco, she has given birth to six offspring and become a grandmother to 19 further chimp infants. She celebrated her 58th birthday in 2023 with her favorite tasty treats.
According to the IUCN, chimpanzees are endangered in the wild, where their exact lifespan is unknown but thought to be into the 50s, with females remaining able to reproduce well into their fourth decade.
