The 5 Great Apes
September 13, 2024 by Jenna -
In addition to providing daily pictures/videos and updates about CSNW’s residents, our blog can also be educational. I hope the blog readers can take away something every time they read it, even if it’s just something new about one of our residents.
Can you name all 5 of the great apes? I have intentionally placed the hardest ones last, as people usually can’t name more than the first three.
Let us know how you did!
1. Gorillas
© Ann & Steve Toon/Getty
Gorillas share 98% of DNA with humans. Gorillas are the largest out of all primate species. They are classified as “critically endangered”.
2. Chimpanzees
Chimpanzees share 98.8% of DNA with humans (the closest living relative). Chimpanzees live in Africa, in both the savannah and rainforests. Chimpanzees are classified as “endangered”.
3. Orangutans
Orangutans share 97% of DNA with humans. Orangutans live in the rainforests of Asia. All orangutan species are classified as “critically endangered”.
4. Bonobos
Bonobos share 98.7% of DNA with humans (our other closest living relative). Bonobos also share 99.6% of DNA with chimpanzees. They are often referred to as “the smaller chimpanzee”. Bonobos are found in Africa, only south of the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Bonobos are classified as “endangered”.
5. Humans
Timeline (dating back to 65 million years ago):
Skeletal Comparisons:
11 Comments
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At this stage in my life with what is happening on Earth, I’m embarrassed to be included in this group.
I had all five before the page loaded. Fun games!
Thanks for the bonobo pic. They always make me laugh, with their hairdos!
I got four correct. I left out humans!!!
Thats funny, I did the same thing !
I came close to doing the same!
I whole-heartedly second Debora’s comments. I doubt that the other great ape species would be classified as endangered were it not for human primates.
I did know the five great apes. It’s very disturbing that four of the five are either critically endangered or endangered all because of humans. When will we learn?
I knew about lemurs and lorises but not tarsiers so clearly I need to do my homework! Appreciated the inclusion of the skeletal comparisons.
It’s great to include more general educational stuff in the blog, thank you! :kissing_heart:
If someone is interested, there are two free online courses (MOOC) available that I (did and) found very informative and interested:1. Chimpanzee Behavior and Conservation by Duke University (with Anne Pusey!) 2. Primate Conservation by Jonathan O’Brian, University of Colorado Boulder – both on Coursera.
As for wild chimpanzees, I found the video library by Green Corridor Project (mainly Japanese primatologists researching the Bossou chimpanzee community) very rich, it contains dozens of short clips about chimpanzee behavior, tool-use, communication etc. with short explanations. The clips were recorded years ago, but are still very educative.
And since it’s rare to see videos about wild bonobos, I recommend (again) the short clips by a young Japanese primatologist Takumasa Yokoyama on YT. These are mainly observational videos but he put on a few mini-lectures about bonobo behaviour that are very interesting. And if someone asks something, he’s always ready to answer the questions although now he works on another project in Asia. I think this long-term study on bonobos is still ongoing in Wamba forest (DR Congo) with different sites and bonobo populations.
Only knew the first 3. Did not realize they are all endangered. Love teaching Blogs!
I am not an ape nor am I 98.76% chimp. I am a human being, created by God in His image and
likeness. Jesus did not die on the Cross for a bunch of apes. The world is not billions of years
old and humans did not “evolve” from apes. This is a myth. If someone chooses to personally
believe they are a monkey’s uncle without a soul, that is their priority, but such wrong thinking
should not be promoted as fact. It insults God and those of us who know better. I have enjoyed
reading this blog since it’s beginning, but lately it is becoming difficult to read such drivel
published by so-called “scientists” being presented as truth. If such blog entries continue,
I will have to cease reading the blogs and only watch videos on youtube to keep updated on the
lives of the amazing chimpanzees I have come to love. The blog should be focused on these
beautiful beings, not promoting atheistic agendas under the guise of “education”. I pray for your
spiritual discernment. God bless you.
Eileen, you have expressed this to us before, in response to our quiz on primates. I’ll share the same response that I sent you then –
Thank you for reaching out and also for continuing to follow the sanctuary!
We certainly respect that people have differing beliefs and worldviews. Our explanation comes from the currently understood taxonomic structure, explained here, as an example: https://www.britannica.com/animal/Hominidae
Zoology and taxonomy are ways of distinguishing, understanding, and showing relationships among living beings. Scientific knowledge about these relationships has changed over the years based on new information, sometimes gathered using new technologies like molecular biology, and taxonomies have been updated because of this. How this relates to your personal beliefs is really up to you!