Fun Facts About Apes

Great apes can be taught to communicate, even though they cannot speak.They use sign language.Apes combine words to describe things they do not know the word for. Caretakers see them making combinations like "white" and "tiger" for a zebra, or "ball" and "beans" for peas, and "bark," "sky," and "dog" for a helicopter.

Bonobo chimpsBonobo chimps use sex to settle fights; they are the only ape species that does not kill (including humans). Sex between two females or two males in bonobos is common, and an orgy often happens before a large meal. Bonobo chimps are also the only animals seen engaging in oral sex.

Apes lack natural predators, except for leopards.Leopards prey on young apes.Humans pose the biggest threat to apes. Humans destroy ape habitats for farming and capture them for circuses or as exotic pets. Great ape numbers are dropping; we must save them.

All great apes share one of four blood types.They have the same blood types as humans.Blood types are A, B, AB, or O, just like humans. This means a human could get an ape blood transfusion, but more research is needed to confirm medical possibility.

Apes share human DNA. Thus, they catch the same infections as humans, such as the common cold, the flu, and pneumonia.

Apes have longer arms than legs, which explains why they walk upright more often. Orangutans can have an arm span of 8 feet despite being only about 4 feet tall.

Zookeepers know that female gorillas kept in captivity who never saw another mother gorilla nurse a baby have trouble catching on to breastfeeding.They have trouble catching on to breastfeeding.Zookeepers often keep female gorillas ready to mate with their families for about a year. This lets them watch and learn how to care for babies.

Bonobo chimpanzees often have face-to-face sex, and some gorillas and orangutans use this position too. Face-to-face sex happens in very few other animal species.

Zoos might give gorillas or chimps birth control.This birth control stops incest or prevents breeding if apes lack the means to care for a new baby, without separating males and females.Zoos might give gorillas or chimps birth control to stop incest or prevent breeding if they cannot care for a new baby, but still want males and females together.

Gorillas and chimpanzees have fingerprints, like humans. The koala is the only other animal species with fingerprints.

Gorillas have large, round bellies, not because they are overweight. Gorillas have enlarged intestines because they need them to digest 40 pounds of vegetation daily.

Multiple studies examined chimps watching TV and movies. One study showed chimps watching a movie with human actors in ape suits.Chimps love watching movies.Chimps watched the film so much they skipped a snack. They recalled the movie's main events after only one viewing.

Great apes lack the ability toApes speak the same way as human babies.Their larynxes, or voice boxes, sit too close to their mouths. A human's larynx sits lower in the neck. This allows for more sound vibration, which makes speech possible. Human babies cannot talk right away because their larynxes are too close to their mouths, similar to apes.

Gorillas gestate for about nine months, like humans do. However, newborn gorillas weigh only three to four pounds. Human newborns average seven pounds. Adult male gorillas can weigh up to 500 pounds.

A gorillas go through menopause.A study on older female gorillas in U.S. zoos found that female gorillas go through menopause like human females. Humans and gorillas are two of few animal species that live past their reproductive years. Scientists do not know if menopause occurs in wild gorillas; wild gorillas live about 35 years, while captive gorillas live until about age 50.Older female gorillas in U.S. zoos showed that female gorillas experience menopause like human females. Humans and gorillas are a small group of species that live past their reproductive years. We do not know if menopause happens to wild gorillas; wild gorillas live about 35 years, but captive gorillas live until age 50.

Gorillas.andchimpanzees.Chimpanzees depend on their mothers for a long time, though not as long as orangutans. Ape mothers wait until their current baby is ready to live alone before having another. Apes also do not reach sexual maturity until they are ten to fifteen years old. This slow breeding rate makes apes very endangered.

Scientists studied bonobo chimps and found they display empathetic yawning like humans. Bonobos yawned more when they saw a stranger yawned than when they saw a friend yawned, suggesting they may be more empathetic to strangers.

The orangutanhas the longest childhood of any animal.The orangutan childhood is the longest in the world, excluding humans. Baby orangutans nurse until six years old, then stay with their mothers for several years after weaning. Female orangutans stay with their mothers until they are teenagers.

Apes are much hairier than humans. However, humans and apes share the same number of hair follicles per square inch. Apes have thicker hair follicles, which causes them to be hairier.Humans and apes have the same number of hair follicles per square inch.Apes have thicker hair follicles, making them hairier than humans.

Gorillas usually do not need water. They get all the water they need from their food and the morning dew on it.