highly social animals, Apes and Chimpanzees

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 Apes a tailless animal like monkey


Apes are a branch of Old World tailless simians. They are the sister group of the Old World monkeys. Apes eat a variety of plant and animal foods,  plant foods, which can include fruit, leaves, stalks, roots and seeds,  nuts and grass seeds. The gorilla, chimpanzee, bonobo, and orangutan are called great apes.  The great apes are much more intelligent than monkeys and gibbons. Great apes are able to recognize themselves in mirrors.


 Difference Between Monkeys and Apes

Monkeys and apes are both primates, which means they’re both part of the human family tree. when you look at a gibbon or a marmoset, how do you know which is a monkey and which is an ape? Almost all monkeys have tails; apes do not. Apes are distinguished from monkeys by the complete absence of a tail and the presence of an appendix. Apes are generally more intelligent than monkeys. While both monkeys and apes can use sounds and gestures to communicate.


 Monkeys are generally smaller and narrow-chested, while apes are larger and have broad chests and shoulder joints that allow them to swing through trees. Apes have an appendix and monkeys do not. There are only a handful of ape species, while there are hundreds of species of monkeys. The gibbon, chimpanzee, bonobo, orangutan, or gorilla , then it’s a monkey. Although there are a number of differences between apes and monkeys (apes have a longer lifespan, larger body size, larger brain-to-body size ratio, and higher intelligence. Apes' noses are short and broad, while monkeys' noses are more snout. 

Species 

All seven species of great apes : no tail, a large skull with a large brain, a curved spine and an opposable or prehensile thumb. 

hair instead of fur

fingernails instead of claws

opposable thumbs

higher brain-to-body size ratio, high level of intelligence

prehensility (ability to grasp with fingers and/or toes)

padded digits with fingerprints

binocular vision i.e. both eyes focus on one object (depth perception)

reduced olfactory sense and dependent on vision more than smell


There are now only about 20 living species of apes and they are divided into two major groups. The  types of apes :

 great apes — gorillas, bonobos, chimpanzees and orangutans 

 and lesser apes — gibbons and siamangs.


There are  5 different types of great apes!

Great Ape 1: Gorilla 

Great Ape 2: Chimpanzee 

Great Ape 3: Orangutan

Great Ape 4: Bonobo 

Great Ape 5: Human 


Habitats

A group of apes is called a tribe or a shrewdness. All apes are very social. Gibbons live in small family groups of two to six individuals. Gorillas live in family groups that can include as many as 30 members.

Chimpanzees


 Chimpanzees are the most social of all the apes, and live in communities with 15 to 120 individuals.  Apes are distinguished from monkeys by the complete absence of a tail and the presence of an appendix and by their more complex brains. All primates live in trees, with the exception of baboons that prefer to live on the ground. They tend to live in jungles, mountainous areas and savannas.  


Chimpanzees build their beds. That is called nests. This nest is in tree canopies using branches that they harvest from specific tree species. They spend about eight to nine hours a night on these platforms. Chimpanzees know how to make a bed. Every night they climb up trees and curl up in nests they build out of branches and leaves. They sleep in the treetops to avoid nighttime predators such as leopards. But at least one population of chimpanzees enjoys sleeping on the forest floor.

Chimpanzees are one  types of “great ape.” The great apes are: chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans.

Size

 Great apes are large, while lesser apes are small. Mountain gorillas, though, can grow to 6 feet tall and weigh 300 to 485 lbs. (135 to 220 kg). Gorillas, the largest of the apes. They are about 4.5 to 5.5 feet  tall  and weigh 200 to 450 lbs. Gibbons and siamangs are much smaller than great apes.  Their  weight is  around 9 to 28 lbs. (3.9 to 12.7 kg). 

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