Gorilla, chimpanzee and orangutan are some of the animals which resemble man many respects. They are a kind of monkeys without a tail. They fall under the ‘anthropoid’ category and are found in the dense jungles of Africa and Asia.
Among these animals, chimpanzee has the closest resemblance to man. In fact, the bone structure of all these animals has many similarities to that of man. The number of their teeth and their constitution are similar to ours. Like human beings, they too have wrinkles on their forehead. Their skulls are also like ours. Even their blood is similar to ours. However they cannot speak like us. They eat blossoms, leaves, stems, fruits, insects and bird’s eggs.
Gorillas are generally as tall as human beings, but heavier and stronger. They live in groups of 20 to 30. The young ones live with their parents till they become adults. Young gorillas sleep on trees, while the adults, on the ground. They are generally peace-loving animals, but once teased or wounded, they start beating their breasts. They can produce a drumming sound from their mouth. Their skin is black.
Chimpanzee is the cleverest of all these animals. It can imitate many habits of man. Its body is covered with black hair. It can be easily captured.
Unlike gorilla and chimpanzee, the orangutan is almost completely arboreal. It has bony crests over the top of its skull. Its forehead is higher than that of gorilla and chimpanzee. The lips protrude and the ears are small. All these animals belong to the group to which we belong.