Dr. Jane Goodall is a prominent zoologist, primatologist and anthropologist, considered to be the world’s foremost expert on chimpanzees. She is well known for her studies in Tanzania, where she observed that “it isn't only human beings who have personality, who are capable of rational thought [and] emotions like joy and sorrow."

Swipe through to learn more about Dr. Jane Goodall.

Early Life

The famous scientist was born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall in London, England, in April 1934. When she was just over a year old, her father gave her a stuffed chimpanzee named Jubilee in honor of a chimp recently born at the London zoo. Jane is said to have loved the toy, saying it sparked a love of animals.

Photography: Facebook/The Jane Goodall Institute

Africa

Jane’s love of animals and her curiosity of the African continent took her to the farm of a friend in Kenya when she was 23. She met the famous archaeologist Louis Leakey, who became her mentor. He was looking for a chimpanzee researcher, and he suspected Goodall might fit the bill. He sent her to London to conduct research, and then she went to Gombe Stream National Park in Zambia for field study.

Education

In 1962, though she had no undergraduate degree, Goodall was allowed to begin study at the University of Cambridge for a PhD. She eventually got a bachelor’s degree in natural sciences, and completed a Doctor of Philosophy in ethology, which is the study of animals in their natural habitats. She also holds an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the Open University of Tanzania.

Work

One of Goodall’s most important and groundbreaking discoveries was that chimpanzees use tools, dispelling the assumption that humans were the only species smart enough to do so. She also documented the complex social behaviors of these primates, and identified individual personalities and emotions among the groups she studied.

Jane Goodall Institute

In order to further the study of chimpanzees and to protect them and their habitat, Goodall founded the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977. She recognized that part of helping the animals was helping the people, who, desperate for resources to ensure their own survival, were inadvertently harming the chimps. So her institute focuses not only on the animals, but on the people who share the planet with them.

Lego

Believe it or not, there’s a Jane Goodall Lego set. Released in 2022, the Jane Goodall Tribute set includes 276 pieces, including a figure of the legend herself and three chimpanzees. There’s a small plaque with her name and the word "ethologist."

Photography: Amazon

Awards and Acknowledgements

Goodall has received numerous accolades over her career, including being named by Time magazine in 2019 as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. She’s been granted “dame” status in the UK. She’s a United Nations Messenger of Peace, and a much-loved statue by sculptor Marla Friedman depicting Goodall and a chimpanzee she called David Greybeard is on exhibit at the Field Museum of Chicago.