MovieChat Forums > Instinct (1999) Discussion > Gorillas-our closest living relatives?

Gorillas-our closest living relatives?

posted 18 years ago by thecaptaineast
6 replies | jump to latest

I've heard that in the animal chain,chimpanzees are our closest animal relatives.Where do gorillas fit in on the spectrum?

[–] johnnymonsarrat 18 years ago

A great book on this topic is The Third Chimpanzee, by Jared Diamond, who won the Pullitzer Prize for his book, "Guns, Germs, & Steel". In The Third Chimpanzee he studies the qualities that make us most human -- like singing and producing art -- and looks for the bridge to animals who also have these traits.

His basic conclusion, and it is impossible not to follow him there as the book is heavily researched, is that while humans are special for a combination of unusual traits, each trait taken individually can be found in at least one other animal.

Gorillas are pretty close to the top, they are a top 10 intelligent animal, I believe.

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Dutch90 17 years ago

Here's a scientific classification concerning the relations between humans and other apes:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Hominidae.PNG

The order goes like this-

1) Bonobos (Pan paniscus).
2) Common chimpanzees (P. troglodytes).
3) Gorillas (Gorilla; I guess scientists were bored when they gave them their scientific names).
4) Orangutans (Pongo).
5) Gibbons (Hylobatidae- not great apes, but they are their closest relatives).

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[–] Sy-borg 14 years ago

Even De Waal (p. 25) doesn't place bonobos ahead of chimps. He says "bonobos and chimpanzees are equidistant to us."

Bonobos: The Forgotten Ape is a terrific read, by the way.

[–] silent_sunchild 16 years ago

Gorillas are farther from us than are chimps. In terms of genetics we are indeed closest to the Bonobo Chimps but if you want to look at social organizations then you have to look at baboons. It may not be very flattering to our ego however, considering how extremely violent baboon societies are - but then again, so are we.

[–] califor123 15 years ago

Gee, we only share 98% of our DNA with chimps, so how could we be related at all? Gosh, don't you all believe in the Bible, that we were created by god as a separate and distinct, and singularly intelligent being? Man, I think the over 70% of Americans who don't believe in evolution are correct. I mean just because we share 50% of our DNA with the banana shouldn't mean anything about all live coming from the same beginnings.

You guys are going to have to go back and read your bible, the written word of god. I mean just because he couldn't get the darn thing right for a thousand years, and that he needed to re-write it so many times over the centuries shouldn't cause you to disbelieve that it's his work.

We all need to work very hard to turn that 70% into 100%, by electing one of those Republicans who raised their hands to say they didn't believe in evolution during the 2008 campaign. Science is fine for curing disease, sending men to the moon, and creating miniature electronics, like putting movies, video, taking pictures, playing thousands of songs, like the new Nano has all in an inches long device; but we shouldn't be counting on it when we have our bible to show us the way. I mean all the answers are in there, right?

I'm sure that Glenn Beck wouldn't be such a religious person if he didn't think the bible was truth. He put his whole soul on the line by converting to become a Mormon. I don't think he puts on the sacred underwear for nothing, do you?