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GREAT APES
« BACK TO PRIMATES: aPES
» Prosimians
» New World Monkeys
  » Old World Monkeys
» Apes
» Lesser Apes
» Great Apes
Gorilla
Gorilla
(Gorilla gorilla)

 

Great apes:

  • Largest of all primates
  • Arms are longer than legs and can locomote using all four limbs simultaneously (except humans—legs longer than arms and exclusively bipedal as adults)
  • All have thumbs, although the degree of opposability of the thumb varies by species
  • Have opposable big toes used for grasping and climbing (except humans)
  • Have hair that is evenly distributed over the body
  • Females have similar gestation lengths and adults provide care to offspring for many years before they are self-sufficient
  • Capable of full shoulder rotation
  • Distinct mental abilities compared to all other primates
  • Gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos are native to Africa; orangutans are native to Asia; humans occur throughout most of the globe
Primates: Great Apes
References
Shumaker, R. & Beck, B. (2003) Primates in Question. Smithsonian Institution Press: Washington, D.C.
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