Male and female chimpanzees from Gombe National Park, Tanzania (Pan tr
oglodytes schweinfurthii) differ in live body weights but not in crani
al capacity or fore-and hindlimb long bone lengths. Skeletal dimension
s of the limbs and vertebral column indicate a mosaic of sex differenc
es. Vertebral column measurements generally are greater in males. Whil
e linear measurements identify differences in the breadth and depth of
the lower cervical and upper thoracic vertebrae, areal assessments sh
ow significant differences in weight-bearing surfaces throughout the t
horacic and lumbar segments. These can be interpreted in terms of dist
ribution of weight and body composition (i.e. amount of musculature).