Planet Ape
By Desmond Morris and Steve ParkerPublished by Mitchell Beazley
The Great Apes are our closest relatives, and have always had a special place in our hearts. Desmond Morris is well known for his people watching, and here he makes many comparisons between how we behave and how they do. Some zoologists now believe that humans are more closely related to chimps than chimps are to gorillas, and it is widely believed that chimp DNA is very close to our own with at least a 96% match.
Diets
The great apes, Orangutans (Bornean and Sumatran), Gorillas (split into several subspecies), chimpanzees and Bonobos all have a remarkably similar diet, and, surprisingly, they are all omnivores as they all eat a small amount of ‘animal items', with 3-4% of chimps diet consisting of non plant items.
Social creatures
Orangutans are the least sociable species of all the great apes, with chimps and bonobos being highly social, though not as social as us humans. Orangutans mothers live with their youngest offspring, while gorillas tend to live in small groups with 1 dominant male and several females as well as offspring. Chimps and bonobos both live in larger groups with several males and several females as well as their offspring. They do differ though in that Chimp groups are male dominated, while bonobos are female dominated.
This book covers many more aspects of the lives, similarities and differences between these great apes and humans, and makes a fascinating read. It isn't just a book full of pretty photos, this is a detailed study of all aspects of these wonderful animals lives, as you would expect from a writer of Desmond Morris' capabilities.
This is one of the best books we have seen this year, a step up from the usual "Wildlife is lovely, we must be nicer to it" sort of book.
RRP £30. To buy from Amazon, click Planet Ape
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