![]() In the movie "Planet of the Apes", gorillas, chimps and orangutans speak like humans. Great apes can also easily catch a cold or the flu from humans. According to one of their keepers, "they cough and sniffle all the time." As a result, the Bonobos at the Wilhelma zoo aren't allowed outdoors once the temperatures drop. These slender, placid great apes are prone to catching common colds. Fishing for snacks Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Zoo Berlin Their blood differs in too many details that still need to be investigated. In reality, blood donations are unlikely, though, as humans and apes are different species. The ABO varieties and the Rhesus factor are the most important characteristics that decide over whether a blood transfusion will succeed or fail. So in theory, chimpanzees and gorillas could donate blood to humans and vice versa - provided they have the same blood type. The Rhesus factor isn't limited to humans, either. Even some of the lesser apes like Gibbons have these blood types. These types developed more than 20 million years ago they're something humans and all Old World monkeys share. Great apes and humans have the same blood types: A, B, AB and O. But then I took a tour around the new great ape house at Stuttgart's Wilhelma zoo and botanical garden - and found out that these fascinating animals still have many a story to tell. Think you know everything there is to know about great apes? That's what I thought, too.
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