great apes facts

Activities	Ape Info	Survival Issues	Resources	Student Work	Facts

Find many interesting facts about the Great Apes

orangutan	gorilla	chimpanzee	bonobo

... make a new nest in trees each evening to sleep in.

... babies are born in the nests.

.. .have an average lifespan of 45-50 years

... reproduce very slowly. Females only give birth every 6-7 years

... young stay with their mother until 6-7 years old

... communicate with "squeaks".

... adult males inflate their throat pouch to produce a deep call that can be heard up to a kilometer away.

...eat mainly fruits, leaves, termites, bark and grubs.

...live in big family groups called harems.

...can be blue-black to brownish grey.

...can grow to be as tall as 170cm and weigh up to 165kg.

...drink water by using a chewed leaf to sponge it up?

...teeth are larger than humans?

...males can be up to 6 times as strong as an adult human?

...share 98% of our human DNA?

...humans have the same blood types?

...sleep in nests?

... exist in large groups of over 100 members

... females only give birth to a single young once every five years.

... sometimes use sticks to defend themselves.

... are our closest living relatives - along wih the chimpanzee.