humans, apes, and bigfoot!

​how closely related are humans, apes, and bigfoot?

Humans relate to apes in more ways than you may think. Chimpanzees and bonobos are the closest relatives of humans DNA wise, however gorillas resemble us more (physically) when it comes to hands and feet. Gorillas spend more time on the ground than other apes, resulting in adapted walking feet, especially prominent in mountain gorillas. Differences between apes and humans are especially small when referencing the nuclear DNA. Some genes found in chimpanzees and humans differ by only 1.2% and recent evidence suggests that humans are more closely related to chimpanzees than any other ape. According to the American Museum of Natural History,  humans and chimps share 98.8% of their DNA however they use their genes in different ways. A gene's activity can be expressed on a higher level or a lower level depending on the animal, even though the same genes are expressed in the same brain regions in humans, chimps, and gorillas. Small differences such as the level at which the gene is active can affect brain development and function, resulting in the human brain being much larger and more intelligent than the apes. This may be true, however apes are still extremely intelligent animals, and aside from their abilities to fend for themselves in the wild, they demonstrate very advanced forms of communication. Recently, chimpanzees and gorillas in captivity have been taught American sign language. In a specific case, Koko the gorilla was taught by Dr.Penny Patterson, an American animal psychologist. Within just a few weeks, Koko the gorilla was using American sign combinations. Observations made by other researchers at several zoos actually pointed out that gorillas seem to have their own form of language using their own hand gestures to communicate with each other. The same genes shared by humans, gorillas, and chimpanzees may be the reason why they are able to pick up sign language so quickly. Apes' intelligence and ability to learn so quickly can play a part in the research of Bigfoot. If Bigfoot is not a species of human, but rather an ape, they may 

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​have a language of their own. Many eye witness reports recall hearing loud "whoops", whistles or screams before or during their encounter. These sounds may be a basic form of communication, much like the chimpanzees' and gorillas' hand gestures. Bigfoot could possibly be closely related to these apes, as it has shown a great intelligence of it's own to many eye-witnesses and researchers. Some even believe that Bigfoot is perhaps more intelligent than apes and humans. Could this be a result of higher gene activity in their brains? You be the judge! Comment below with questions, theories, and feedback! 

Bibliography:
"How Do Gorillas Communicate? - Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe E.V."How Do Gorillas Communicate? - Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe E.V. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Aug. 2016.

"DNA: Comparing Humans and Chimps." AMNH. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Aug. 2016.

Hooray! Here's your new citation:
"Sign Language | Koko.org." Sign Language | Koko.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Aug. 2016.