They are the grandest, strongest, fastest and most widespread members of the primate order. This is the group to which we belong. So it is no surprise that chimps, gibbons, orangutans, gorillas and bonobos share an even closer likeness to us. Above all, they show intelligence. Although apes were separated from monkeys quite early on, they clearly began to evolve a more complex society that was the crucial blueprint for our own development. Facial expressions, communication and touching are common to all great apes. Use of tools, hunting, deception and outsmarting others are the hallmark of both ourselves and other apes.
