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Apes are said to be the nearest living relative of man. People are said to be apes since humans share about 98% of their DNA with chimpanzees. Apes are categorized into two groups, great apes, and lesser apes. Under the great apes, we have orangutans, chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas. Under the lesser apes, are gibbons, and siamangs.
Apes belong to different branches of the Simian infraorder, there are not monkeys. A lot of physical things differentiate them from each other, as indicated by the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, most monkeys have tails whereas apes do not have. Apes are physically larger than monkeys, monkeys’ noses are more snout-like whereas that of apes are short and broad. Apes have larger brains compare to that of a monkey. Apes are capable of learning a language.
Size
lesser apes are small in nature while great apes are large. The largest of the apes is Gorillas. According to Defenders of Wildlife. It is about 4.5 to 5.5 feet and about (1.37 to 1.67 meters) tall. When the Gorillas is weighed upright is 200 to 450 lbs,(91 to 204 kilograms). Though, Mountain gorillas grow up to 6 feet tall and weigh 300 to 485 lbs (135 to 220 kg).
The world’s largest tree-dwelling animal are the orangutans. They weigh 90 to 200 lbs(41 to 204 kg), and up to 4 to 4.5 feet (1.2 to 1.37 m) tall.
The smaller apes are the Gibbons and siamangs. According to the San Diego Zoo. They basically weigh about 9 to 28 lbs. (3.9 to 12.7 kg), Siamangs grow up to 29.5 to 35.5 inches (75 to 90 centimeters) tall from head to rump.
Habitat
According to the National Zoo, the great apes and lesser apes habitats are very limited. Hence, the great apes live in Asia and Africa, the lives in jungles, savannas, and mountainous areas.
Lesser apes live in monsoon forests and evergreen tropical rainforests in Asia. Siamangs prefer to live in Malaysia and Indonesia about 80 to 100 feet (25 to 30 m) in the trees.
Habits
A group of apes is called a shrewdness or a tribe. They are basically very social, according to the San Diego ZooSome, the apes such as the Gibbons live in small groups of 2 to 6 individuals. Siamangs never wander more than 30 feet (10 m) apart they are very close, Gorillas live as a family, and they can include as many as 30 members. Among all the apes we have Chimpanzees is the most social, and live in communities with 15 to 120 members.
the apes family during the day play, eat and protect each other, in the night they sleep in nests which they made from branches or in trees.
As indicated by the Anthropological Institute of University Zürich-Irchel Winterthurerstrasse. Monogamous in nature is the Gibbons, there are very rare in the animal kingdom. hence, In the animal kingdom only 3% practices monogamy.
Diet
When it comes to diet apes eat small bugs or animals to supplement their diet.there are herbivores in nature. Gibbons for an instant, eat mostly fruit, but they also eat on insects, leaves, and flowers. Orangutans eat invertebrates, small vertebrates,mineral-rich soil, and a fruit diet that is supplemented with vegetation. According to the Center for Great Apes, apes chimp’s diet is mainly fruits supplemented with small mammals, insects, and birds.
Offspring
Just like humans, apes do have offspring, after a gestation period of 8 and 1/2 to 9 and 1/2 months they typically give birth to only one or two babies at a time. Apes breastfeed their young once for an extending amount of time, just like humans.
Apes take proper care of their young once for many years. They also take much longer time to mature than any other animals. It takes them 12 to 18 years to fully develop into an adult.
