The
Great Apes include Gorillas,
Orangutans, Chimpanzees,
and Bonobos
Gorillas
are large, quiet, gentle
apes that live in Africa.
Although gorillas are
frequently portrayed
as aggressive, dangerous
killers, they are really
shy, peaceful vegetarians.
Because of massive loss
of habitat, these majestic
primates are in great
danger of going extinct.
APES
are not MONKEYS
Compared
to monkeys, apes are
tailless, have very
versatile shoulder joints,
and have brains about
twice as large.
Man
is gorilla's only enemy.
Because of the actions
of male gorillas protecting
their groups with such
determination from hunters,
humans developed a folklore
about the ferocity of
gorillas. Gorillas' defense
of standing and chest-beating
make them a perfect target.
Like all tightly knit
social groups, gorillas
will defend their young.
They defend them with
their lives.
Gorilla's
are Vegetarians
Gorillas
are predominantly herbivores,
eating mostly plant
material. They forage
for food in the forests
during the day. They
eat leaves, fruit, seeds,
tree bark, plant bulbs,
tender plant shoots,
and flowers. They have
been known to eat various
parts of over 200 different
plant species. Occasionally,
gorillas supplement
their diet with termites
and ants. They rarely
drink water; the water
contained in their diet
is apparently enough
to sustain them.
Gorillas
are very intelligent
and can learn extremely
complex tasks.
Gorillas'
hands are very much
like ours; they have
five fingers, including
an opposable thumb.
Their feet have five
toes, including an opposable
big toe. Gorillas can
grasp things with both
their hands and their
feet.
Male
gorillas are much larger
than the females, and
are almost twice as
heavy. Adult male gorillas
are called silverbacks
because they have a
saddle-shaped patch
of silver hair on their
backs after they are
about 12 years of age.
ENDANGERED
STATUS
Gorilla, largest, rarest,
and most powerful ape.
Gorillas are now considered
to be in danger of extinction
because of encroachment
on their habitat and
continued hunting and trapping for experimentation.
Trafficking
in Misery: The Primate
Trade
Many primates die during
quarantine and transport
into the United States,
with the mortality rate
reaching a high of 20
percent at one point,
according to the Centers
for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC).
Those who survive the
miserable journeys from
their homes are funneled
into gruesome, painful,
repetitive, and often
pointless experiments
from which few emerge
alive.
Free
Our Great Apes
This
once proud gentle giant,
is reduced to tears -
Please stop inhumane experiments
of needless and grotesque
experiements.
Bonobo
This
Bonobo is eating ants
from the stick he stuck
into an ant hill.
Bonobos
eat a variety of foods,
including fruits, nuts,
seeds, sprouts, vegetation,
and mushrooms. They
eat various parts of
plants, including the
leaves, flowers, bark,
stems, pith, and roots.
They also eat small
mammals, insect larvae,
earthworms, honey, eggs,
and soil
Bonobos
are also known as a
pygmy chimpanzees. The
differences between
the common chimpanzee
and the bonobo are slight:
the bonobo has longer
legs, shorter arms and
a narrower trunk, and
is generally smaller,
with a rounder skull
and flatter face. Another
distinguishing feature
is the species black
face and red lips, and
a prominent tail tuft
which is retained by
adults -- chimpanzees
only have one at the
juvenile stage.
Bonobos
are a rare ape found only
in the Congo Basin rain
forests of the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC)
and their existence is
threatened by bushmeat
hunters and habitat loss.
Peaceful
and powered by females
In contrast to the competitive,
male-dominated culture
of their close relative
the chimpanzee, bonobo
society is peaceful,
matriarchal and more
egalitarian. Bonobos
live in large groups
where harmonious coexistence
is the norm. While in
many ways, males and
females have “separate
but equal” roles,
females carry the highest
rank, and the sons of
ranking females are
the leaders among males.
Females form close bonds
and alliances, which
is another way they
maintain their power
among males, who are
larger and stronger
physically.
Chimpanzees
who form hunting parties
to capture monkeys,
bonobos do not aggressively
hunt mammals. On rare
occasions, they have
been observed to capture
duikers (small antelope)
or flying squirrels,
but this seems to be
circumstantial.
Orangutans
Orangutan
and her baby
The
only long-lasting orangutan
social group is the mother
and offspring, who live
together for about 7 years.
Orangutans
are omnivores (they
eat both plants and
animals) but are mostly
herbivorous (plants
comprise most of their
diet). They eat fruit
(their favorite food),
leaves, seeds, tree
bark, plant bulbs, tender
plant shoots, and flowers.
They also eat insects
and small animals (like
birds and small mammals).
Orangutans
don't even have to leave
their tree branches
to drink, they drink
water that has collected
in the holes between
tree branches.
Orangutans
are very intelligent.
They have been known
to use found objects
as tools; for example,
they use leaves as umbrellas
to keep the rain from
getting them wet. They
also use leaves as cups
to help them drink water.
Orangutans
are shy, solitary animals
that are active during
the day (they are diurnal).
They live alone in large
territories. This is
probably due to their
eating habits; they
need a large area in
order to get enough
food and too many orangutans
in one area might lead
to starvation.
Orangutans
are large apes that
live in southeast Asia
(on the islands of Borneo
and Sumatra). These
apes mostly live in
trees (they are arboreal)
and swing from branch
to branch using their
arms.
The
word orangutan means
"man of the forest"
in the Malay language.
As its habitats are
being usurped by man,
the orangutan's population
is decreasing and it
is in grave danger of
extinction.
Orangutans
have a large, bulky
body, a thick neck,
very long, strong arms,
short, bowed legs, and
no tail. Orangutans
are about 2/3 the size
of the gorilla.
The
orangutan has a large
head with a prominent
mouth area. Adult males
have large cheek flaps
(which get larger as
the ape ages).
Chimpanzee
Once
found in 25 African
countries, chimpanzees
now are extinct in four
and nearing so in others.
photo: WWF-Canon / Michel
Gunther
The
chimpanzee's characteristic
shape includes arms
that extend beyond the
knees, opposable thumbs
and a prominent mouth.
The skin on its face,
ears, palms, and soles
of the feet is bare,
and the rest of the
body is covered with
brown to black hairs.
Adults have bare, black
faces, and fur color
ranging from deep black
to brown; young chimps
have pinkish ears, nose,
hands, and feet.
When
erect, chimps stand
between 3 and 5 1/2
feet tall. In the wild,
males can weigh between
75 and 150 pounds, and
females between 57 and
110 pounds.
Chimpanzees
eat with their hands,
which they also use
to throw objects at
enemies and to create
tools. Notably, chimps
will poke a stick into
a termite mound to feed
on the insects and can
crack open nuts.
Once
found in 25 African
countries, chimpanzees
now are extinct in four
and nearing extinction
in others due to the
terrible toll exacted
from deforestation and
commercial hunting for
bushmeat. All four subspecies
of chimpanzee are listed
as endangered by the
IUCN Red List of Threatened
Species.
Urgent
measures are needed
to conserve remaining
chimpanzee populations.
In West Africa WWF is
working to develop and
strengthen protected
areas in Nigeria and
the Ivory Coast. In
Central Africa, we are
helping establish and
manage protected forest
areas in Gabon, the
Central African Republic,
Cameroon and several
other countries. WWF
is also working to stop
the illegal killing
of apes in logging areas
and to reduce the impact
of the bushmeat trade
on endangered species
such as apes.
Chimpanzee's
Caged terror
From the jungle or Savannah
to the laboratory, every
moment of the captured
primate's experience is
characterized by sickness,
despair, fear, loneliness,
and terror.
Between
1994 and 2000, hundreds
of higher primates were
subjected to grotesque
'xenotransplantation'
experiments. Hearts
and kidneys from genetically
engineered piglets were
transplanted into the
necks, abdomens and
chests of monkeys and
baboons captured from
the wild. See Diary
of Horror and Despair
"My
only hope is that one
day all chimpanzees
in research facilities
will be retired and
no more chimpanzees
ever used again."
Dr.
Jane Goodall, Scientific
Director, The Jane Goodall
Institute
The
logo of The Great Ape
Project, which aims
to expand moral equality
to great apes, and to
foster greater understanding
of them by humans.
international
organization of primatologists,
psychologists, ethicists,
and other experts who
advocate a United Nations
Declaration of the Rights
of Great Apes that would
confer basic legal rights
on non-human great apes:
chimpanzees, bonobos,
gorillas, and orangutans.
The rights suggested
are the right to life,
the protection of individual
liberty, and the prohibition
of torture.
The
Lesser Apes
Gibbon
and Siamangs
Gibbon
Gibbons are the size of
a small monkey
There
used to be many species
of apes, but most are
now extinct. The six
remaining ape species:
the "lesser apes"
are the gibbon and siamang.
Male
Gibbon
In the rain forests
of Southeast Asia live
the most agile of all
mammals: the slender,
long-limbed gibbons.
Their natural habitat
is in the trees, where
they can swing from
limb to limb with remarkable
speed. Sometimes, when
moving along a large
branch, or on the ground,
they stand upright with
their arms held high
for balance, like a
tightrope walker. They
sleep sitting up in
the branches, huddled
together in twos and
threes.
Gibbons
live in small family
units, and claim a certain
area of the forest as
their territory. Each
morning, before their
daily search for fruits,
leaves, and buds, and
the occasional insect
or young bird, they
warn intruders of their
presence by making ear-splitting
shrieks that can be
heard over long distances.
Gibbons usually weigh
between 8 and 9 kg.
There are seven distinct
species with much colour
variation, ranging from
creamy yellow to black.
Strongly
territorial, gibbons
defend their boundaries
with vigorous visual
and vocal displays.
The vocal element, which
can often be heard for
long distances, consists
of a duet between the
mated pair, the young
animals sometimes joining
in. This eerie song
can make them an easy
find for poachers who
engage in the illegal
wildlife trade and in
sales of body parts
for use in traditional
medicine. Most species
are threatened or endangered,
most importantly from
degradation or loss
of their forest habitat.
Gibbon
species include the
Siamang, the White-handed
or Lar Gibbon, and the
Hoolock gibbons. The
Siamang, which is the
largest of the 13 species,
is distinguished by
having two fingers on
each hand stuck together,
hence the generic and
species names Symphalangus
and syndactylus.
Siamangs
are the size of a large
monkey, twice the size
of gibbons
Siamangs
Siamang
and Orangutan
• The siamang is
the largest of the 14
species of gibbons.
• A special throat
sac enhances the siamang’s
call, helping make it
the loudest of the gibbons.
• Siamangs can share
territory with other gibbons
because the siamangs are
largely leaf eaters and
do not compete for much
of the forest fruit.
• The siamang’s
arm span is as wide as
4.9 feet (1.5 meters).
• Siamangs are one
of the few primates known
to form permanent pairs.
The
siamang is the largest
and darkest species
of gibbon. Siamangs
are rare, small, slender,
long-armed, tree-dwelling
(lesser) apes. These
very acrobatic primates
live in southeast Asia.
Siamangs
are arboreal; they spend
most of their lives
in trees. Because they
are so dextrous while
moving in the trees,
almost no predators
can catch them. The
siamang is one of nine
species of gibbons.
The siamang is the largest,
darkest, and noisiest
species of gibbon. Because
of the rapid deforestation
of their habitats, gibbons
are an endangered species.
Siamangs
are very small and lightweight.
They have a small, round
head, very long arms
(the arms are longer
than the legs), and
a short, slender body.
Siamangs, like all gibbons,
have lightweight bones.
Like all apes, they
have no tail.
Siamangs
are omnivores (eating
plants and small animals).
They forage for food
in the forests during
the day, eating fruit
(which constitutes about
75% of their diet),
leaves, flowers, seeds,
tree bark, and tender
plant shoots. They also
eat insects, spiders,
bird eggs, and small
birds.
Siamangs,
like other gibbons,
drink water. Often they
drink by dipping a furry
hand into the water
or rubbing a hand on
wet leaves, and then
slurping up the water
from their fur.
Siamangs
are social animals that
are active during the
day (they are diurnal).
They live in small,
stable family groups
consisting of a mated
pair (a male and a female
who mate for life) and
their immature offspring
(juveniles, siamangs
less than 7 years old).
Like
other apes, siamangs
groom one another (they
clean the hair of a
family member using
their fingers).
 
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