Great apes have complex social structures with varied and important communication. Humans are the only great apes without opposable big toes. The dental structure is the same for all great apes and well as the basic facial structure and large brain cavity. Great apes have no tail nor ischial callosities. They also share the capacity for establishing long-term relationships, accumulating memories, and possessing a sense of time.The great ape family includes humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans. Chimpanzees are as capable of joyful reconciliation as they are of confrontation.Ĭhimpanzees and humans share long lifespans and high intelligence. 6 Conflicts arise in chimpanzee society just as they do in human society. Conversely, positive emotions boost general well-being. Adverse mental states such as grief or depression have detrimental effects on physical fitness in both species. The link between physical and mental health has been observed in both humans and chimpanzees. But, within chimpanzee society, each member has a place-be it one of status or marginal involvement. Some are better skilled at accomplishing this than others. Chimpanzees have the challenge of establishing their place within their society. Their rich personalities are strikingly similar to humans and explain their complex emotional needs and the rich social fabric of their lives.Īlong with self-awareness comes their self-interest. Some are gentle and nurturing, while others are bullies. Some chimpanzees show enormous kindness or intelligence, and others could be described as more selfish. 5 Given this keen sense of self, chimpanzees' individuality is as diverse as it is in humans. They can recognize themselves in a mirror. Like humans, chimpanzees have self-awareness. Generations of chimpanzees live together and form long-term relationships, fostering chimpanzee culture. 4 Cheetah, the oldest known chimpanzee, lived 80 years. An adult male chimpanzee has six to eight times the strength of an adult man.īoth species have relatively long lifespans, although chimpanzees can live 50 years or longer. Our bodies are similar in structure, although chimpanzees have significantly more muscle mass, bone density, and consequent strength. Bodies and Healthīiologically, chimpanzees and humans are very much alike. They pass these lessons on to their children, resulting in a complex socio-cultural system. Like human children, young chimpanzees learn life skills via observation and imitation. Physiologist Jared Diamond went so far as to call humans "the third chimpanzee." 3 2 Some scientists believe that chimpanzees-both common and pygmy (bonobos)-should be classified in the same genus ( Homo) as human beings instead of being classified alongside orangutans, gibbons, and gorillas. As a result, chimpanzees and humans share physiological, emotional, and behavioral traits.Īnthropologists estimate that modern human and chimpanzee species diverged from a common prehistoric ancestor between 5 and 10 million years ago (a theory Charles Darwin first proposed in 1871). Fossil and genetic evidence show that human and chimpanzee DNA is approximately 96-98% identical. Our understanding of chimpanzees has enhanced our knowledge of not only them but also ourselves.Ĭhimpanzees are the species most closely related to human beings than to gorillas. 1 Years of study have traced and documented our shared origins. Humans and chimpanzees evolved in Africa from a common ancestor millions of years ago. We are different branches of the same evolutionary tree. Photo: © Michael Nichols from Brutal Kinship (Aperture)Ĭhimpanzees and humans share a common ancestry that is evident in our genes, intellect, emotions, and behaviors. All primates, even those that lack the features typical of other primates (like lorises), share eye orbit characteristics that distinguish them… Forward-facing color binocular vision was also useful for humans' brachiating ancestors, particularly for finding and collecting food. In primates, the combination of opposing thumbs, short fingernails (rather than claws), and long, inward-closing fingers is a relic of the ancestral practice of brachiating through trees. Opposing thumbs are also a characteristic primate feature but are not limited to this order. Another distinguishing feature of primates is fingernails. Colin Groves lists about 350 species of primates in Primate Taxonomy.Īll primates have five fingers (pentadactyly), a generalized dental pattern, and a primitive (unspecialized) body plan. The English singular primate is a back-formation from the Latin name Primates, which was the plural of the Latin primas (“ one of the first, excellent, noble”). A primate is any member of the biological order Primates, the group that contains all lemurs, monkeys, apes, and humans.
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