You will be surprised and delighted to learn that gorillas like to swear, bonobos have snot, and both animals share the same blood type as humans.
Do you consider yourself an expert on giant apes? That’s what I believed too. After taking a tour of the beautiful new ape residence at Stuttgart’s Wilhelma Zoo and Culture Park, I later learned that these intriguing animals still had a lot to say.
1. The same blood types
Humans and great apes have blood types A, B, AB, and O. These types, which are shared by humans and all Old World primates, evolved more than 20 million years ago. These blood types are present even in some smaller apes, such as Gibbons. Also, the Rhesus factor does not only apply to people.
As long as they share the same blood type, chimpanzees and gorillas could theoretically donate blood to humans and vice versa. The most critical factors in determining the success or failure of a blood transfusion are Rhesus factor and ABO variations.
Since apes and humans are two separate species, blood donations are actually rare. Too many aspects of their blood differences remain to be examined.
2. Bonobos have snot
These gentle, slender giant apes are susceptible to the common cold. They constantly sneeze and cough, says one of their caretakers. As a result, as the weather turns colder, Wilhelma Zoo’s bonobos are prohibited from being outside. Also, great apes are easily infected with the flu or a cold from humans.
3. Why great apes can’t talk
Gorillas, chimpanzees, and orangutans have speech similar to that of humans in the movie “Planet of the Apes.” They are actually unable to speak due to a higher larynx or larynx, resulting in a smaller resonance chamber due to insufficient space between the soft palate and the larynx – human infants who have not yet learned to speak experience the same. Also, it is a challenge to coordinate the muscles of the larynx and vocal cords because they cannot move as freely.
4. The ability to communicate
Brain scans of giant apes reveal a form of early speech center. They may be able to understand human sign language because of this. Some apes have a sign language repertoire of over a thousand. Although they cannot build complicated sentences, they can produce new words. A female gorilla once described a zebra as a white animal with stripes by combining the signs for white and tiger.
5. Television is popular with the great apes.
American primate expert Amy Parish investigates bonobo responses to TV movies at Wilhelma Zoo. On a large screen mounted on a wall in her complex, the apes can watch movies for an hour each day. According to the keeper, they like this (mostly): “They enjoyed when we showed them a video of our zoo!” She continues: “They are interested in other creatures.” When the zoo vet appears on the TV show, they find him intolerable. “The bonobos go crazy; they shout and shake their fists.”
6. Great apes were used as sex slaves
The similarity of great apes to humans is harmful to animals. They are occasionally treated as prostitutes in problematic brothels and subjected to sexual assault and restraints. Many female orangutans lead dismal lives.
There has been debate among scientists about Pan and Homo for a long time. Since humans, chimpanzees, and bonobos are all so similar, many people believe that there should only be one species, Pan or Homo. You may assume that it is a horrible notion in the eyes of other people. Therefore, the separation of species remains in force for the time being.