The tree-dwelling ancestors of apes had less opportunity to move on the ground. They thus developed alternative strategies to cross small rivers, wading in an upright position or using natural bridges. They lost the instinct to swim. Humans, who are closely related to the apes, also do not swim instinctively.
Gorillas like other apes including humans find it hard to swim naturally which prompts them to desist from expanse water masses (big water bodies) like Lakes and Rivers.
Not all primates can swim, which is due to their body's design and sometimes their habitat. Ones that cannot swim often have a low body fat ratio and have heavy or stout physiques. Others that cannot swim live in habitats that do not have large water bodies.
Chimps don't like to swim, therefore you'll seldom see them paddling around in it. They sink due to their low body fat ratio, and their top heavy body composition makes it difficult for them to keep their heads above water. However, some chimps prefer splashing around in shallow water.
"Orang-utans are famous for their fear of water," says Russon. "They have high body densities and can't help but sink." They're such lousy swimmers that some zoos have stopped surrounding enclosures with moats – too many orang-utans have drowned.
Monkeys and apes lack the neural control over their vocal tract muscles to properly configure them for speech, Fitch concludes. "If a human brain were in control, they could talk," he says, though it remains a bit of a mystery why other animals can produce at least rudimentary speech.
Most mammals are able to swim instinctively without training; a notable exception being the great apes. Humans are clearly able to become proficient swimmers with training; other great apes, however, have not been documented as swimmers beyond anecdotal reports.
It felt pretty silly to do, but they explained that a human smile is seen as a threatening expression to chimpanzees. When they are afraid or when they are trying to be intimidating, they will show all their top teeth and do what we call a “fear grimace.” I was stunned.
Monkeys, apes and other simians have nothing quite like our tears. They have tear ducts to help keep their eyes lubricated and clean. But they don't drain when they're sad. Chimps will scrunch up their faces and make noise when they're in distress, but they don't connect the tears and the wailing.
DeSilva said other research found that many early humans' toes were not likely able to grasp as well as chimpanzees' do, which would be a useful attribute for climbing. And measurements of early human knees and hips also indicates that these bones weren't well adapted for climbing.
“This exploratory study lays the groundwork for future research by showing that some juvenile macaques exhibit atypical social behaviors, some of which are similar to those observed in autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and we found that genetics contributes to both sets of behaviors,” says lead author Chris Gunter, PhD, ...
There are monkeys native to Japan, such as the ever famous and adorable Japanese macaque, also known as the snow monkey. But studies have shown that direct eye contact with macaques can be taken as a sign of aggression or threatening behavior.
Humans and chimps have DNA that is 95 percent similar, and 99 percent of our DNA coding sequences are the same as well. However, humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes in our DNA, while chimps only have 22. The difference makes bearing healthy young difficult, and the offspring would be infertile.
Accordingly, while non-human primates (particularly, macaques) appear to be well equipped with a speech-ready vocal tract, they do not have the adequate brain wiring that regulates the vocal tract muscles to generate human-like speech sounds.
Many scientists thus refrain from using the word crying when referring to nonhumans, preferring to talk about distress vocalizations, or describe the acoustical properties of the sound. In sum, if we define crying as tearful sobbing, then we know that humans are the only primates that cry.
Because the connection between the upper thigh and hip bones is short in chimpanzees, the hip muscles cannot contract effectively to provide support for upright walking. The connection between the upper thigh and hip bones was longer in early humans than in chimpanzees, and its base thicker.
It is easy to tell when a chimp gets mad: they become aroused and perform conspicuous displays and noisy tantrums. The researchers found that the chimpanzees were more likely to collapse the table when they were aroused than when they were calm.
An August 1992 study published in the Journal of Tropical Medicine Hygiene reported nine cases of salmonellosis attributed to monkey meat consumption. As the human genetic make-up is similar to that of monkeys, humans are susceptible to catching diseases and viruses that may be present in the monkey flesh.
Monkeys to feel regret and learn from their mistakes just like humans, according to a new study.
Like shy humans, staring directly into the eyes of gorilla make them feel uncomfortable and insecure and when disrupted by your direct eye contact, they can charge aggressively at you to defend themselves.
Try to avoid making eye contact and do not smile at a wild monkey. To a monkey, showing your teeth is a sign of aggression and threat. Similarly, don't yell at a monkey or otherwise tease / heckle it.
Myth: Chimps can smile like humans do.
Chimps make this expression when they are afraid, unsure, stressed, or wanting to appear submissive to a more dominant troop member. The closest expression chimps have to a smile is a play face.
The chimpanzee and bonobo are humans' closest living relatives. These three species look alike in many ways, both in body and behavior.
Many animals recognize the voices of members of their own species, and some can even recognize those of other species, such as humans. But it turns out a few animals, such as gorillas, can not only recognize familiar voices but also connect those voices to pleasant or not so pleasant memories.
The great apes are the smartest of all nonhuman primates, with orangutans and chimpanzees consistently besting monkeys and lemurs on a variety of intelligence tests, Duke University Medical Center researchers have found.