Random Fun Facts You Should Know About Apes (20 items)

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  (#1) Apes Can Create Words

  Even though they cannot speak, great apes can be taught sign language. What's even more amazing is that when they don't know the word for an object, they will combine other words to describe it. Ape caretakers have noticed them creating the following combinations of signs: "white" and "tiger" to describe a zebra, "ball" and "beans" to denote peas, and "bark," "sky" and "dog" to describe a helicopter.
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  (#2) Bonobo Chimps Make Love, Not War

  Bonobo chimps use sex to dissolve conflicts—they're the only ape that doesn't kill (including humans). Sex between two female or two male bonobos is common, and before a big feast there's usually an orgy. Bonobo chimps are also the only animals observed engaging in oral sex.
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  (#3) Humans Are Apes' Biggest Threat

  Apes don't really have any natural predators, besides leopards who will sometimes prey on young apes. That means that the biggest threat to apes is humankind. Humans destroy apes' habitats for massive agricultural operations, and capture them to sell them to circuses or as exotic pets. Great ape numbers dwindling, and it's up to us to save them.
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  (#4) Humans And Apes Have The Same Blood Types

  All great apes have one of four blood types: A, B, AB, or O, just like humans. This means that in theory, a human could get a blood transfusion from an ape, but more research is needed to determine whether it's medically possible.
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  (#5) Apes Can Get The Flu

  Because their DNA is so similar to that of humans, apes can come down with the same infections we get, like the common cold, the flu, and pneumonia.
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  (#6) Their Arms Are Longer Than Their Legs

  Apes have longer arms than they do legs, otherwise you would see them walking upright more often. Orangutans can have an arm span of 8 feet, even though they're only about 4 feet tall.
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  (#7) Apes Learn Parenting Skills By Observation

  Zookeepers have realized that female gorillas raised in captivity who have never seen another mother gorilla nurse a baby have trouble catching on to the concept of breastfeeding. For this reason, zookeepers will often keep female gorillas who are ready to mate with their families for another year or so, to allow them to watch and learn how to care for babies.
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  (#8) Apes Have Sex Face To Face

  Bonobo chimpanzees frequently have sex in a face to face position, and some gorillas and orangutans have been observed using this position as well. Face to face sex isn't commonly observed in any other species in the animal kingdom.
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  (#9) Human Birth Control Works On Apes

  Zoos might give birth control to gorillas or chimps to prevent incest, or to prevent breeding in general if they do not have the resources to care for a new baby, but don't want to separate the males and female.
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  (#10) Apes Have Fingerprints

  Just like humans, gorillas and chimpanzees have unique fingerprints. The only other species of animal that has fingerprints is the koala.
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  (#11) Gorillas Aren't Fat, They Have Enlarged Instestines

  Gorillas have big, round bellies, but not because they're overweight. Gorillas have enlarged intestines, which they need in order to digest 40 pounds of vegetation every day.
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  (#12) Chimps Love Watching Movies

  Multiple studies have been done on chimps watching television and movies. In one study, chimps were shown a movie featuring human actors dressed in ape suits. The chimps were so engrossed in the film that they turned down a delicious snack, and they remembered the major events of the film after watching it only once.
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  (#13) Apes' Voice Boxes Are The Same As Those Of Human Babies

  Great apes don't have the ability to speak because their larynxes, or voice boxes, are located too close to their mouths. A human's larynx is lower in the neck, allowing for a greater resonating capacity, which can produce speech. Human babies can't talk right away because their larynxes are too close to their mouths, like apes.
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  (#14) Newborn Gorillas Are Half The Size Of Newborn Humans

  Gorillas gestate for about nine months, just like humans, but newborn gorillas only weight three to four pounds, as opposed to human newborns, which weigh seven pounds on average. Adult male gorillas can weigh up to 500 pounds.
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  (#15) Gorillas Go Through Menopause

  A study on older female gorillas in zoos around the United States concluded that female gorillas go through menopause just like human females. Humans and gorillas are two of only a handful of animal species that live past their reproductive years. It's unclear whether menopause also happens to gorillas in the wild, since wild gorillas live about 35 years, while gorillas in captivity live until about age 50.
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  (#16) Apes Are Slow Breeders

  Gorillas and chimpanzees are also dependent on their mothers for a long time (though not for as long as orangutans), and ape mothers will not have another baby until the one they are currently raising is ready to live on its own. Apes also don't reach sexual maturity until they are between 10 and 15 years old. This slow rate of breeding is one of the reasons apes are so critically endangered.
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  (#17) Bonobos Yawn Empathetically

  Scientists have studied bonobo chimps and found that they display empathetic yawning just like humans do (when you see someone yawn, you also yawn). Bonobos were actually more likely to yawn when they saw a stranger yawning than when they saw a friend yawning, indicating that they might be even more empathetic to strangers.
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  (#18) Orangutans Have The Longest Childhood Of Any Animal

  The orangutan childhood is the longest childhood in the world, with the exception of humans. Baby orangutans will nurse until they are six years old, and then stay with their mothers for several years after they are weaned. Female orangutans stay with their mothers until they are teenagers.
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  (#19) Humans And Apes Have The Same Number Of Hairs

  Apes are obviously much hairier than humans, but humans and apes actually have the same number of hair follicles per square inch. What makes apes hairier is the fact that their hair follicles are thicker.
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  (#20) Gorillas Don't Need To Drink Water

  Gorillas usually don't need to drink water, because they get all the water they need from their food and the morning dew that's on it.

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