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ALL ABOUT APES

 

Apes are primates that anatomically resemble humans, comprising the gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans, gibbons, and siamangs. They are tailless primates with long arms and broad chests.

Early apes evolved during the Miocene epoch (7-26 million years ago). Fossils of these early apes have been found in Africa, Asia, and Europe.

 

The great apes (family PONGIDAE) include the gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans and humans.

The lesser apes (family HYLOBATIDAE) include the gibbon and siamang.



GORILLA
The largest ape, a shy but social vegetarian, from Africa. There are three subspecies, the western lowland gorilla, the endangered mountain gorilla, and the eastern lowland gorilla.



CHIMPANZEE
A large, brown-to-black, very intelligent tree-dwelling ape from Africa with a hairless face, large ears and hands (for knuckle-walking). Bonobos, rare "pygmy chimps," are close relatives of chimps from the Congo.



SIAMANG
A rare, black, noisy gibbon

 

 

A cladogram of the greater apes; a branching diagram that depicts species divergence from common ancestors.


 

 

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