New Species of Ape?
 

Looks convincing.....just shows what little we know of our own planet.

Giant Ape May be New Species
AFP

Oct. 6, 2004 — An elusive giant ape has been spotted in remote forests in central Africa, sparking theories that it could be a new species of primate, a finding that would be the most astonishing wildlife discovery in decades, New Scientist says.

In a report published in the coming issue, the weekly says the mysterious creatures have been seen in forests around the towns of Bondo and Bili, in the far north of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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From the rare eyewitness sightings, bone discoveries and a video recording, the animals have large, black faces, are up to two meters tall (6.5 feet) and weigh between 85 and 102 kilos (187 and 224 pounds).

That would put them in the size category of gorillas, but the region lies 500 kilometers (300 miles) from the edges of the known habitats of the western and eastern species of gorilla.

The creature's face is gorilla-like and has a sagittal crest — a long bony ridge — that is typical of gorillas.

But other aspects of the skull morphology are that of a chimpanzee, according to Colin Groves, an expert at the Australian National University in Canberra.

As for behavior, the apes make nests on the ground like gorillas, whereas chimpanzees prefer to make their homes in the trees. But, unlike gorillas, which hate water and prefer to build a new nest every night, these primates make their beds in swampy ground and reuse them night after night.

Feces recovered from the nest sites indicated an animal with a diet rich in fruit, which is typical of chimps.

Shelly Williams, a U.S. primatologist affiliated with the Jane Goodall Institute in Maryland, captured the apes on video in 2002 with the help of local people and was once briefly confronted by a group of four of them in dense forest.

This, along with other evidence, makes her think that there is a chance the animals could be a new species of great primate — in other words, an undiscovered genetic relative of humans.

Other possibilities are that it is gorilla-chimp hybrid, or a new sub-species of chimp that would be 50 percent bigger than its largest cousins.

Anecdotal evidence about the unusual apes dates back to photos taken by European hunters in 1898, when the region was the Belgian Congo.

The trail was then picked up in 1996 by Karl Ammann, a Kenyan-based Swiss photographer, who was intrigued by local tales that the forests were inhabited by large ferocious apes that could kill lions.

Unlike gorillas, which invariably charge when they see a threat, these apes turn around and silently slip away into the forest when encountered, Ammann said.

The discovery of these apes "reveals just how much we still have to learn about our closest living relatives," New Scientist notes, expressing concern that animals could be "poached out of existence" unless conservation measures are urgently taken to protect them.

http://animal.discovery.com/news/afp.../giantape.html

Thats just facinating. I hope there are updates soon.

Asta!!

Nice, this is why I love science and learning. This is also why I hate the destruction of our rain forest and other forest just for the fact that we are over populating.

Heres a pic of the creature.

(click on it)
<a href=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/04/0414_030314_strangeape.html>http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...30508_bili.jpg</a>

Asta!!

From Daily Telegraph (http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/m...7/ixworld.html):

"We could hear them in the trees, about 20 feet away," she said. "My tracker made a sound of an injured duiker [antelope] and four came rushing through the brush towards me.

"If this had been a bluff charge, they would have been screaming to intimidate us. These guys were quiet. And they were huge. They were coming in for the kill. I was directly in front of them, and as soon as they saw my face, they stopped and disappeared."

Discovery Planet changed the whole encounter that Karl Ammann had with the gorillas - they thought they were going after a wounded antilope and when they instead found a human they split. This species is definitely an extraordinary find, but it's intelligence doesn't need to be oversensationalized.

Well if I saw somthing that looks like K-Wise's photo, and it being 6.5 feet high charging at me with 3 others charging with it, I would seriously shit my pants.

^ Oh shit yeah! And to think those things were charging at us and they got one look and turned around and left. I think that could say a lot more than they're letting at.

Asta!!

sasquatch anyone- serriously, if a type of chimp the size of shaq has been quietly hiding out for 100 years or more.......

its probably steve-o or chris pontius,those crazy wild boys.

^ Ahahahaha

Asta!!

This is very cool. i'd love to get more info about it.. I'm sure Discovery Channel or National Geographic have crews on it as I sit here.. That means at least a year before we see any quality footage.

How does Gorilla/Chimp sex even work?

^ Well for one I don't think one of them even has a say in the matter. They did say that these guys don't live anywhere near regular gorillas didn't they?

Asta!!