Ape

Apes belong to the primate group known as hominoids. Unlike most monkeys, they have no tails, broader chests, and shoulder joints that rotate widely for swinging or climbing. Their hands feature opposable thumbs for grasping branches, peeling fruit, or crafting tools. Scientists divide apes into lesser apes, which are the gibbons, and great apes, which include orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, and humans. Each species shows different body sizes and behaviors, yet they share common ancestry.

Habitats stretch from Southeast Asian rainforests to African mountains. Orangutans spend nearly all their time in trees, weaving leafy nests each evening. Gorillas and chimpanzees travel on the ground more often, knuckle-walking across forest floors and savannas. Gibbons are masters of brachiation, swinging hand over hand across gaps that would stall other primates. Apes rely on diverse diets that mix fruit, leaves, bark, seeds, and occasionally insects or meat, helping them maintain large bodies and energy-hungry brains.

Social life varies widely. Chimpanzees live in fission-fusion communities where subgroups split and reunite through the day, while mountain gorillas cluster in tight family bands led by a dominant silverback male. Bonobos rely on female alliances to reduce tension, greeting one another with gentle gestures. Orangutans are mostly solitary, but mothers care for their offspring for nearly a decade, teaching survival skills. All apes communicate with facial expressions, vocal calls, and gestures, and some species learn dozens of symbols in captivity.

Human activity is the greatest threat to apes. Logging, mining, and agriculture fragment forests, forcing groups into smaller patches. Illegal hunting for bushmeat or the pet trade removes adults that would have raised the next generation. Conservation teams establish national parks, work with Indigenous communities on sustainable harvests, and monitor wild populations with camera traps and drones. Ecotourism that follows strict rules can bring income that keeps forests standing and supports long-term ape research.