The Greate apes are large hairy primates with no tail, long arms and short legs capable of grasping. There are three African species which are the Gorilla ( Gorilla Gorilla), Chimpanzee ( Pan trogladytes) and Bonobo or Pygmy Chimpanzee (Pan paniscus). The fourth member of the Great apes, Orangutan (pongo pygmaeus) is found in Sumatra and Borneo. The facial features of apes are individualistic and expressive as humans. Great apes walk on all fours and can also walk fairly well bipedally. They are also able to climb cautiously using all four limps to secure their weighty bodies. Although the three African species all live in the forests, they are different ecologically and socially. The Gorilla is a terrestrial herbivore. The Chimpanzee spends half of its time in the trees eating fruits. The Bonobo spends most of its time in trees ( arboreal). Female Gorillas and Chimpanzees reach puberty as early as 8 years, they have monthly menstrual cycles for several years before conceiving. They reproduce at intervals of 3 to 5 years. Males becoming prime for reproducing in their early twenties. Apes offsprings are born with a thin coat and are able to cling to their mother within a few days. They can walk and climb around six months. They remain dependent on their mothers for guidance and protection till around 5 years. The genes of apes are 98% to 99% the same as human beings. Some taxonomies have proposed putting all five species in the same family of Hominidae.
大猩猩
They are massive, pot belly, long thick arms, short legs with thick fingers and toes. Sub species are;
Western lowland Gorilla.
This is the smallest and most abundant found in the lowland rain forests of Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Congo. Male weigh 140KG and Female 75kg. All have small jaws and teeth with broad face. Mature male has large nearly white saddle covering rump and thighs.
Eastern Lowland Gorilla.
This are the largest with males weighing around 165kg and. Mostly found in the isolated patches of rainforests in Zaire and adjacent border regions of Rwanda and Uganda. The faces are narrow and body with thick black fur.
Mountain Gorilla.
This are highly endangered with only a few remaining in the wild. Found in the Virunga range of volcanos of Rwanda Democratic Republic of Congo- Uganda border. They are long haired with massive jaws and broadest face. Males weigh around 160 Kg while female weigh around 85Kg.
Female Gorillas live in harems guarded and strictly controlled by a silver back male. Also to be found ithe group is a young adult son of about 5 to 8 years. Life in a Gorilla hareem is usually peaceful and relaxed. Mountain Gorillas spend a third of the day feeding. The rest of the day is spend resting and sunning. They build nests in the trees or ground to sleep at night. The silverback leader dictates where his groups goes or what it does, and when. Each of the mates is bonded only to him and their offspring and not to one another. Females are unrelated and acquired as adolescents from their parental groups. Male competition for females is intense which can often lead to ferocious battles between fathers and sons or mates. Gorillas are not territorial and groups normally avoid one another.
Chimpanzees
Robust build with long hands and fingers and large prehensile feet. Coat usually black but can vary from brown to ginger. Males Weigh about 40 to 55 Kg while female weigh about 30 Kg. They are found in rain forests and also moist savanna and sometimes in acacia savannas. Located in Guinea, Sierra Leone East, Uganda and north of Congo river. They are more closely related to human beings as shown in DNA studies. Chimpanzees are omnivores whose diets vary. They number 20 to more than 100 in groups but often wander alone or in small groups searching for edibles. Travelling on the ground between food trees, they will bed where night finds them. Whenever they assemble in large parties, it is usually to share bonanza like fig tree fruit. Social relations exits and a higher rank has privileges like priority access to food or to mates. A male may become alpha male through own strength or with the support of a brother or two. In Chimpanzee community, a female migrates during indolence’s (9-11 years) and settle in other communities. Adult females in a group are mostly not related. In contrast males who remain in the community share ties and cooperate to defend their territory and females from their neighbors. This equivalent of a tribal warfare. Chimpanzees are known to make tools like hammers to crack nuts or use grass to fish out termites.
Bonobo (Pygmy Chimpanzees)
Same height as Chimpanzees but more slender. They are also very closely related to human beings. Face is completely black. Found in Lowland rain forests and swamp forests in DRC south of Congo river.
The bonobo diet consists mainly of fruits. When fruit is scarce, it will eat ground plants. It also eats a variety of invertebrates including earth worms and millipedes. It is more arboreal and acrobatic than chimpanzees and often leap and dive from tree to tree. They live in groups numbering 50 to 120 members. The basic unit consist of a mother and her offsprings including her grown up sons. Some groups consist of all male groups. In Bonobos, strong bonds exist. To be found in singles are mostly decrepit old males and young migrant females
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